The 205-acre brush fire that broke out near Pinyon Pines last week was sparked by lightning, fire officials announced Wednesday.
The Ribbon Fire, which was reported at 10:12 a.m. last Thursday near Highway 74 and Ribbonwood Drive, prompted evacuation warnings for residents from Alpine Village, Pinyon Crest, Pinyon Pines and the Pinyon Flats campground.
The non-injury fire quickly grew to 200 acres, but only expanded by five acres until full containment was reached around 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The blaze broke out as hundreds of firefighters were busy battling a much larger arson-caused fire to the northwest. The 13,139-acre Cranston Fire, which began at noon last Wednesday in the forest between Hemet and Mountain Center, was 89 percent contained as of Wednesday afternoon.
