LOS ANGELES — Three wildfires continued to burn in western Riverside County early Saturday, scorching thousands of acres and prompting evacuations in some neighborhoods.
The largest so far is the Rabbit fire, which was reported at 3:26 p.m. in the community of Lakeview. The fire had scorched 4,500 acres with only 5% containment as of Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and the Riverside County Fire Department. An evacuation order was issued for about 25 homes north of Gilman Springs Road.
Another blaze, dubbed the Reche fire, was first reported just before 1 p.m. in the 9400 block of Reche Canyon Road — in an unincorporated area north of Moreno Valley.
The fire had charred 437 acres with 30% containment as of Saturday morning. Video from the scene showed at least one structure engulfed in flames, but it was unclear whether any others had been damaged.
Roughly 280 firefighters were assigned to the blaze.
Evacuations were ordered Friday afternoon for residents south of Reche Canyon Road, north of Reche Vista Drive, west of Trust Way and east of Alta Vista Drive, authorities said. That order was downgraded to a warning by Friday night.
The warning remained in place Saturday, along with an evacuation warning for Moreno Valley residents south of Alta Vista Drive, north of Ironwood Avenue, west of Moreno Drive and east of Perris Boulevard.
The Reche fire has also forced the closure of a roughly 4-mile section of Reche Canyon Road, according to Riverside County Fire.
Authorities set up an evacuation center at Valley View High School, 13135 Nason St., for anyone displaced by the fire.
The Highland fire was first reported at 2:57 p.m., south of Beaumont. After mapping efforts, officials say it has burned 105 acres — less than half of what was originally estimated.
That fire, which was 50% contained as of Saturday morning, briefly forced evacuations along Breckenridge Avenue between Highland Springs Avenue and Sunningdale Street on Friday afternoon.
An evacuation warning was also in place for the area east of Highland Springs Avenue, south of Sun Lakes Boulevard and west of South Highland Home Road.
Authorities established a “care and reception center” for those displaced by the Highland fire at Nicolet Middle School, 101 E. Nicolet St. in Banning.
All warnings and orders issued for the Highland Fire were lifted by 9 p.m. Friday.
The cause of the three fires remained under investigation Saturday morning, authorities said. Officials did not yet have information on whether any buildings were damaged.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for western Riverside County due to the three wildfires.
The wildfires broke out during a heat wave that has caused triple-digit temperatures across much of inland Southern California, creating periods of critical fire weather, according to the National Weather Service.
Much of the state is under an excessive heat warning or heat advisory, which will continue in many regions through next week. Temperatures Saturday are expected to reach 106 and 108 degrees in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, respectively, while the Antelope Valley could see a high of 115.
Blistering triple-digit temperatures are forecast across the state. In Death Valley, temperatures are expected to hit nearly 130 degrees Saturday, approaching some of the Badwater Basin’s most extreme records, forecasters said. Palm Springs is expected to reach 120, Redding could rise to 113 and Fresno in California’s Central Valley should peak at 109.
“It’s going to get just very, very hot,” said Elizabeth Adams, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s San Diego office. She said multiple areas in Southern California, especially in the Coachella Valley, Inland Empire and San Diego County deserts, won’t see much cooling even in the evenings, with some overnight temperatures remaining in the 80s and 90s.
A ridge of high pressure centered over the Western U.S. is causing the hot weather, which began Wednesday in Southern California. The particularly stagnant warm air mass is now centered over California, Adams said, trapping heat near the surface — known as a “heat dome.”
It’s unclear exactly how long the extreme temperatures will last, but the above-average heat is expected to remain across the region through at least early next week, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
