RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Crews were making progress Saturday battling a fast-growing and smoky wildfire in southern California that broke out Friday morning, prompting mandatory evacuations and warnings.
Now encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) east of Moreno Valley in Riverside County, the Springs Fire was 45% contained on Saturday, a significant increase from 25% containment on Friday.
More than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders or warnings, with six zones having these restrictions lifted. The exact number of affected households is still unknown.
Firefighters faced challenging conditions, battling strong winds as the National Weather Service issued an advisory for gusts reaching up to 45 mph (72 kph) on Saturday afternoon. An air quality alert was also declared due to harmful fine particle pollution levels from the wildfire smoke.
Hundreds of personnel have engaged in suppressing the blaze using helicopters, fire engines, and water tenders. The fire is located in a populates unincorporated area near Moreno Valley, home to around 200,000 residents, situated about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Now encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) east of Moreno Valley in Riverside County, the Springs Fire was 45% contained on Saturday, a significant increase from 25% containment on Friday.
More than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders or warnings, with six zones having these restrictions lifted. The exact number of affected households is still unknown.
Firefighters faced challenging conditions, battling strong winds as the National Weather Service issued an advisory for gusts reaching up to 45 mph (72 kph) on Saturday afternoon. An air quality alert was also declared due to harmful fine particle pollution levels from the wildfire smoke.
Hundreds of personnel have engaged in suppressing the blaze using helicopters, fire engines, and water tenders. The fire is located in a populates unincorporated area near Moreno Valley, home to around 200,000 residents, situated about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
