Crews make progress on brush fires burning in Moreno Valley, Acton

The Springs Fire burning in Riverside County inched dangerously close to homes in the Moreno Valley Ranch neighborhood on Friday evening.

The Springs Fire burning in Riverside County, east of Moreno Valley and near Lake Perris, inched dangerously close to homes in the Moreno Valley Ranch neighborhood on Friday evening.

The over 4,000-acre brush fire first broke out around 11 a.m. and quickly spread due to strong Santa Ana winds.

An Eyewitness News crew watched as the flames crested the ridge in the hillside above the homes on Championship Drive. It appeared that most of the flames were at least 200 yards away from the homes around 5 p.m. Fortunately, the Santa Ana winds were beginning to die down as crews continued to make water and retardant drops on the brush fire.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for thousands of homes, mainly around Lake Perris and the Rancho del Sol Golf Club.

"We always knew that if this area was to catch fire, it would be devastating, because just like the fires in the Palisades and everything else, this is exactly the same thing that we have here. This has been waiting to go off. Nobody wants to take care of it, so we're not going to wait around," said Moreno Valley resident Ray Moorehead.

The Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Medical Center is among the thousands of structures in the evacuation warning zones. Kaiser Permanente released a statement, saying it will remain open but is keeping "direct contact with Riverside County emergency services as the situation evolves."

"We have strong emergency response contingency plans in place to ensure our members continue receiving the highquality care they deserve," the statement read, in part. "Some nonurgent appointments at the Moreno Valley Medical Center campus, including the Iris Medical Office Building, may need to be rescheduled, and we will contact members directly if their appointments are affected."

At last check, the Springs Fire was 4,176 acres and 5% contained, according to CAL FIRE.

Forward progress has been stopped for the Crown Fire burning in the Acton area, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

In a recent update, incident command said the fire has reached approximately 330 acres and remains at 25% containment with no rate of spread.

Still, evacuation warnings and orders remain in place for the surrounding community.

The Crown Fire burning in northern Los Angeles County in the Acton area has reached 25% containment, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.

The Crown Fire burning in northern Los Angeles County in the Acton area has reached 25% containment, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Still, evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for the surrounding communities. Officials say approximately 1,000 structures are within the evacuation zone.

"We have our aerial and our ground firefighter personnel that's working really hard to suppress this fire and get it contained, and that's how we got to that 25%," said Pauline McGee with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "The firefighters live for these moments. They train all year round to make sure that we keep our communities safe and our homes safe as well."

Firefighters have been able to make progress as the Santa Ana winds slow down. Upwards of 200 firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze.

"It is at 280 acres... the winds have slowed down, and again, those firefighters are working really hard to make sure we contain that fire," McGee said.

A fire burning in Riverside County, east of Moreno Valley and near Lake Perris, has grown to over 3,500 acres and is 5% contained.

A wind-driven brush fire burning in Riverside County, east of Moreno Valley and near Lake Perris, has grown to over 3,500 acres and is 5% contained, according to CAL FIRE.

The Springs Fire started around 11:30 a.m.

Eyewitness News reporter Rob McMillan was in the Moreno Valley Ranch neighborhood on Friday evening, where flames and smoke were seen creeping down the hillside above Championship Drive, getting closer and closer to homes.

More than 1,000 homes are under evacuation orders in the area as the Santa Ana winds continue to spread the flames.

"I smelled the smoke earlier this morning. And then it went away, and then it started back again. My brother works for Edison, and he was like, 'No, it's headed your way.' I didn't think so, but I work from home. I had to shut down, and here we are," said Moreno Valley resident Denise Smith.

Moreno Valley College was evacuated in the middle of the fire, with all students and staff forced to leave. California State Parks also evacuated and closed the Lake Perris State Recreation Area.