RIVERSIDE: Brush Fire

“46 Fire – Part 2″Early Halloween morning, October 31, 2019, a fuel and wind-driven brush fire broke out at Rancho Jurupa Park. The fire was a result of a pursuit in which the suspect crashed near Crestmore Road and 46th Street. Around 12:18am an officer with the Riverside Police Department spotted a stolen vehicle as it traveled northbound on Van Buren Blvd. The suspect continued northbound into Riverside County. The officer continued to follow the suspect until Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were able to get into position to conduct a traffic stop. Deputies attempted to pull the vehicle over at which time the suspect failed to yield and a pursuit was initiated. The suspect weaved through Jurupa Valley, at one point cutting through a field off Riverview Road, which cause damage to at least one of the vehicles tires. The suspect then traveled eastbound on Rio Road where he crashed through a gate to the rear of Rancho Jurupa Park. The suspect continued his attempt to flee from pursuing deputies until the vehicle became disabled in a field inside the park along Crestmore Road. Deputies were able to quickly take the drive and passenger into custody without further incident. The disabled vehicle ignited and quickly spread to the surround vegetation. Around 12:40am Cal Fire / Riverside County Fire was dispatched to the scene. With winds blowing at roughly 30 mph, when the first engine company arrived, the fire was roughly 1/4 acre with a rapid and dangerous rate of spread. The fire, dubbed the 46 Incident, quickly gained momentum as it burned in a southwesterly direction and advanced towards homes on Rio Road. Mutual aid from surrounding agencies was immediately requested and a mandatory evacuation order was given for all residents along Riverview Road south of Crestmore Road. By 2:45am the fire had grown to 75 acres, destroyed one residential structure, an outbuilding and a mobile home and was 0% contained. By 6:30am the fire was at 150 acres with three residential structures and two outbuildings destroyed and 0% contained. Firefighters were completely overwhelmed by the fast wind-driven fire and embers were sparking fires ahead of the main fire as it quickly burned towards the Van Buren Blvd bridge over the Santa Ana River. By 8:00am the fire was 300 acres and 5% contained. In addition to the three residential structures and two out buildings destroyed in Riverside County, ember casting due to the high winds ignited debris which destroyed two outbuildings and caused major damage to two commercial buildings within the City of Riverside in the 6300 block of Industrial Avenue. The embers ignited a pallet yard, at least 10 palm trees on Industrial Avenue as well as a tanker truck to the rear of a business. Firefighters from the City of Riverside Fire Department responded and arrived to a scene that resembled a war zone. Firefighters began an aggressive fire attack as embers continued to ignite multiple fires in the area. By 2:00pm Cal Fire / Riverside County Fire lifted all evacuation orders as the fire continued to burn in the Santa Ana River bottom holding at 300 acres and 5% contained. Please follow the City of Riverside Fire Department along with Cal Fire / Riverside County Fire on Twitter for the latest updates.