Three-Alarm Blaze Erupts At Warehouse Near 215 Freeway

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A fire erupted today in a pile of pallets adjacent to a warehouse on the boundary separating Riverside and Moreno Valley, quickly spreading to the exterior of the building, prompting a three-alarm emergency response. The blaze was reported at 1:30 p.m. at 22000 Opportunity Way, just west of Interstate 215, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Multiple engine crews and truck companies from the county, city of Riverside and March Air Reserve Base converged on the location within minutes and encountered heavy smoke and flames threatening the warehouse. Initially, the fire was declared a two-alarm emergency, but it was elevated to a third alarm when the flames extended to a wall on the south side of the commercial structure, according to reports from the scene. The warehouse was evacuated. As of 2:20 p.m., firefighters were working to contain the blaze to one segment of the structure. One firefighter suffered a heat- and smoke-related injury and was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center for treatment. Because of heavy black smoke drifting over I-215, the California Highway Patrol was considering lane closures on both the south and northbound sides of the freeway between Cactus Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard, a roughly quarter-mile stretch. However, as of 2:25 p.m., no lanes had been taken out of service. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-09-12-2022 14:33