Riverside, California — Crews made progress Saturday in combating the smoke Wildfires in Southern California Which broke out the day before and led to mandatory evacuations.
The Springs Fire, which spans 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) in Riverside County, about 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, was at least 45% contained on Saturday, a fire department spokesman said. It was 25% contained on Friday.
While wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 km/h) were expected on Saturday, Tera Fernandez, a public safety information specialist with the Riverside County Fire Department, said the winds have “dissipated a little bit” since Friday, which has helped fire crews’ efforts.
“We feel confident,” she said. “The winds have calmed down, so it helps us make more progress.” Fernandez also praised the efforts made to build and strengthen containment lines around the perimeter of the fire.
“We have nature equestrian trails around where there are a lot of structures, and that helps our firefighters with access.” she said. “Increased humidity will help this evening as well.”
Fernandez said that so far no buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
Crews began airdropping water and retardant throughout the fire early Saturday. She added that about 260 personnel were fighting the fire, including crews from across the region working to build and strengthen containment lines and lay hoses.
Fewer than a dozen areas of the province remained under mandatory evacuation orders, while evacuation warnings were lifted in other parts of the province. It was not immediately known how many families were affected by the orders.
The fire is located in an unincorporated, populated part of Riverside County, a recreational area near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of about 200,000.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.