Firefighters in Riverside County strengthened containment around a pair wildfires that have been burning since Tuesday, May 19, while crews in Ventura County maintained containment on the Sandy fire in Simi Valley, according to Cal Fire.
Bain fire
Crews in Riverside County upped containment of the Bain fire to 67% overnight after seeing some growth Thursday, May 21, authorities said. The fire had rolled through 1,497 acres.
Evacuation orders remain in place for two zones in Jurupa Valley and one in Riverside toward the eastern flank of the fire, according to Cal Fire. All other evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings.
The fire was first reported about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, and quickly grew to more than 1,300 acres, officials said. It has grown minimally since.
Temperatures will be slightly cooler than earlier in the week, with highs forecast in the low to mid-80s with westerly winds that could gust upwards of 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Four civilian injuries and one firefighter injury have been reported during the Bain fire, which started near Limonite Avenue and Bain Street in Jurupa Valley.
Verona fire
Containment of the Verona fire grew to 57% by Friday morning, May 22, with all evacuation orders downgraded to warnings, according to Cal Fire.
The Verona fire, burning in unincorporated Riverside County near Homeland and Hemet, had burned 648 acres since Tuesday afternoon, May 19, when it was first reported on a hillside near Verona Road and Juniper Springs Road north of Highway 74.
It initially destroyed outbuildings and threatened homes, prompting evacuations, including at a gated retirement community before firefighters got a good handle on the blaze.
Winds have been sprouting up throughout the week and on Thursday, May 21, they continued to spike, with south-westerly winds.
Similar conditions were on tap for Friday, with a high forecast in the mid-80s.
The causes of both Riverside County fires were under investigation.
Sandy fire
In Simi Valley, Ventura County firefighters maintained containment of the Sandy fire at 40% by Friday morning, May 22, according to Cal Fire, despite another jump in charred acreage to 2,141 acres.
“Firefighters made good progress overnight with very minimal fire activity reported across the incident,” said a morning update by Cal Fire. “Crews will continue working today to build and strengthen containment lines.”
The Sandy fire has been burning in the foothills on the south side of Simi Valley since before 11 a.m. Monday, May 18, and evacuation orders remain in place for parts of Simi Valley, Burro Flats and Meier Canyon.
Evacuation orders that had been issued in Bell Canyon and Santa Susana were downgraded to evacuation warnings by Friday morning, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, although the Simi Valley police received a call from the driver of a tractor who said he hit a rock, causing a spark that started a brush fire.
Residents scrambled on Monday to put water on homes in the Bridle Path community before evacuating, but a wind shift later in the day pushed the fire in the opposite direction.
Crews should have more favorable conditions, with high temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s and southwesterly winds in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
One home was destroyed by the fire and no injury had been reported.