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 reported to be 45% contained on Saturday, an increase from 25% on Friday.
More than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders or evacuation warnings, while six have been lifted. It remains unclear how many households are affected by these orders. Firefighters are facing strong winds as they fight the blaze, with the National Weather Service advising of wind speeds between 15 mph to 20 mph (24 kph to 32 kph), with gusts that can reach up to 45 mph (72 kph). In addition, an air quality alert has been issued due to harmful levels of fine particle pollution from the wildfire smoke.
Hundreds of personnel are engaged in battling the blaze utilizing helicopters, engines and water tenders. The fire is located in a densely populated unincorporated area of Riverside County, near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000 people. The city lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) from Los Angeles.
More than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders or evacuation warnings, while six have been lifted. It remains unclear how many households are affected by these orders. Firefighters are facing strong winds as they fight the blaze, with the National Weather Service advising of wind speeds between 15 mph to 20 mph (24 kph to 32 kph), with gusts that can reach up to 45 mph (72 kph). In addition, an air quality alert has been issued due to harmful levels of fine particle pollution from the wildfire smoke.
Hundreds of personnel are engaged in battling the blaze utilizing helicopters, engines and water tenders. The fire is located in a densely populated unincorporated area of Riverside County, near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000 people. The city lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) from Los Angeles.
