Wildfire Burns Structures Near Temecula

About a dozen structures and several vehicles burned Saturday in a wildfire that broke out near Vail Lake Resort southeast of Temecula.

Law enforcement officials evacuated residents who live near the lake as 250 firefighters descended upon the area to fight the blaze reported around 3:50 p.m.

Riverside County Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said Saturday night that the fire, which grew from a 10-acre blaze, had burned more than 215 acres.

Hemet firefighters Skip Irland, left, and Capt. Art Deyo battle a fire around a structure that was destroyed along Highway 79. The fire burned a number of structures but officials are still trying to determine how many of those were homes.

It appeared to have slowed and was 15 percent contained by about 7:30 p.m.

"Things are looking very favorable at this point," he said. "It's not burning anywhere near as rapidly as it had been."

An unidentified person, who is not a firefighter, was treated for smoke inhalation, Herrera said. The fire burned structures but he couldn't confirm whether any of them were houses.

Winds between 15 and 20 mph drove the blaze, Herrera said.

Winds of similar strength are expected today in the Temecula area, with temperatures forecast to reach the low 90s, according to the National Weather Service.

Soon after the fire started it jumped from north side of Highway 79 to the south side. Firefighters battled flames 10-feet high near U.S. 79 and Sage Road. They set up around homes to protect them.

Hand crews and bulldozers worked to contain the fire while helicopters and air tankers dropped water and retardant from the air before sunset.

Herrera said it was too soon to know where and how the fire started.

He didn't immediately know how many people had been evacuated.

The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 79 between Anza and Sage roads shortly after the fire was reported.

Pamela Anderson, CEO of the Riverside County chapter of the American Red Cross, said Saturday night that the Temecula Community Recreation Center on Rancho Vista Road had been opened for people who had been evacuated.

Other centers would be opened if needed, she said.

Two families had evacuated to the center and were expected to spend the night there.

They did not want to be interviewed, Red Cross officials said.

Resident Ashley Bundrock on Saturday night anxiously waited on Highway 79 to get to her home inside the fire area.

The 22-year-old woman was working at a Temecula motorcycle dealership when her stepmother called around 3:30 p.m. and told her that a fire was burning near her home.

"My house is over there and I'm trying to figure out if it is still there," she said, adding that she feared that she had lost her dog.

Highway 79 road closures prevented Bundrock from getting home, she said. She tried using back roads without success.

John Welsh, spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Control, said Saturday night that four dogs had been rescued from two homes inside the fire area.

The dogs were being taken to the Ramona Humane Society in San Jacinto, he said.

He said two of the dogs were plucked from a burning home by Riverside County Sheriff's deputies.

The residents were not at home.

Animal control employees rescued two of the dogs from another residence, Welsh said. Other animals that may be found also will be taken to Ramona Humane Society, he said.

Herrera said the area is filled with livestock and he expected firefighters to find dead animals as a result of the fire.

However, Welsh said that department volunteers who rescue large animals, such as horses and livestock, headed toward the area shortly after the fire was reported.

They did not find any animals to save, he said.

"If there were animals that perished, it's because we just could not get there in time," Welsh said.