Fire in Santa Ana River Bottom Now Fully Contained

A brush fire that erupted in the Santa Ana River bottom between Jurupa Valley and Riverside and scorched 115 acres was 100% contained Thursday morning, Cal Fire said. Crews sealed gaps in the fire line and mopped up hot spots overnight, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The non-injury blaze started about 11:10 a.m. Monday in the area of Jurupa Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard, less than a mile north of Riverside Municipal Airport, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Firefighters had been making steady progress encircling the fire when a separate fire sprang up about 3:30 p.m. ahead of the larger one, near the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter. The fires blended into one under increasing southwesterly winds, shifting directions throughout the day and threatening hundreds of homes in Jurupa Valley and Riverside, where mandatory evacuation orders were in place for several hours. All orders were lifted Monday night. Street closures for Clay Street, between Van Buren Boulevard and Limonite Avenue, as well as Van Buren Boulevard between Jurupa Avenue and Limonite were lifted about 5 p.m. Tuesday. No structures were damaged. The cause of the fire was under investigation. The river bottom is dotted with homeless encampments, and during dry periods fires from camping and cooking are a regular occurrence.