Firefighters battling 65-acre fire in Cabazon amid windy, dry conditions

CABAZON, Calif. (KABC) -- Firefighters on Saturday were battling a fast-moving vegetation fire in Riverside County that burned at least 65 acres as strong Santa Ana winds whipped across the region.

The fire was reported around 9:20 a.m. in the 51999 block of Ida Avenue in Cabazon, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Crews found the blaze burning at a "dangerous rate of spread."

It was initially reported at 10 acres, but by 1 p.m. the flames had consumed 65 acres. Firefighters were able to stop the forward rate of spread a couple of hours later.

Firefighters reported achieving 15% containment on the blaze by the evening.

An evacuation warning that was issued for the area east of Magnolia Street, north of Hurley Flats Road, west of Almond Street and south of Esperanza Avenue was lifted as of 2:30 p.m.

Firefighters said they would be on the scene throughout the evening to continue building containment lines.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

A red flag warning is in effect through Sunday for parts of Southern California, which signals an increased risk of wildfires amid dry and windy conditions.

City News Service contributed to this report.