Firefighters on Thursday continued to subdue two wildfires that raged in parts of Riverside County this week.
The Bain Fire grew to 1,497 acres by Thursday afternoon, as fire crews reached 60% containment, Cal Fire reported.
The wildfire erupted around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Bain Street and Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley and quickly swelled, forcing evacuation orders and warnings for residents in both Jurupa Valley and Riverside.
Some quickly scrambled to pack their belongings and evacuate, while others stayed put and sprayed water on their homes.
The blaze has been mostly held in check since the first day, but a small increase of about 81 charred acres was reported on Wednesday afternoon, May 20, due to some flare-ups, Capt. John Clingingsmith Jr. with the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said.
Firefighters had anticipated the flare-ups with less-than-ideal weather conditions and “they were ready to respond to that,” he said.
Four injuries have been attributed to the fire, three for smoke inhalation, officials said.
Many evacuation orders were lifted as of Thursday evening, but some remained in effect. See the evacuation map.
North north-westerly winds near the Bain fire reached up to 14 mph on Thursday, with gusts up to 22 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Calmer west north-westerly winds blew later on.
Verona fire
Firefighters working in unincorporated Riverside County near Homeland and Hemet also achieved progress, increasing containment of the Verona fire to 45%, Cal Fire reported.
The blaze grew to 648 acres as of Thursday evening. All evacuation orders remained downgraded to warnings, according to the agency.
Fire crews held down the total of destroyed acreage despite increased winds on Wednesday, with Clingingsmith saying units expected those changes and were in place.
The fire was first reported early Tuesday afternoon on a hillside around Juniper Springs and Juniper Flats roads north of Highway 74, officials said. It destroyed outbuildings while threatening homes on the first day, prompting evacuations, including at the Four Seasons, a gated retirement community.
On Thursday, the wind continued to spike, with south south-westerly winds up to 15 mph blowing near the fire, and gusts up to 23 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The cause of both fires remains under investigation.
