Two brush fires broke out as Santa Ana winds picked up across Southern California on Friday.
The Springs Fire was reported around 11 a.m. on Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. As the fire grew, it threatened homes in the Moreno Valley Ranch neighborhood.
Meanwhile, in northern Los Angeles County, crews were battling another, smaller brush fire in the Acton area, dubbed the Crown Fire.
Both fires triggered evacuation orders and warnings, all of which were lifted by Saturday evening, when both fires reached 95% containment.
AIR7 flew over the 4,176-acre Springs Fire in the Moreno Valley area on Friday night, where the flames were seen dangerously close to homes.
The blaze was creeping over the hillside, into the Moreno Valley Ranch neighborhood.
AIR7 video captured helicopters performing water drops over the flames. The fire appeared to die down slightly during the time AIR7 was above the neighborhood.
The 4,176-acre Springs Fire burning in Riverside County, east of Moreno Valley and near Lake Perris, is now 10% contained, according to CAL FIRE.
As the containment goes up, some evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted for residents in the area.
The evacuation orders have been lifted for zones RVC-0748 and RVC-0826, and the evacuation warnings have been lifted for zones MOE-0505, MOE-0637, MOE-0504 and MOE-0640.
All other evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect, according to CAL FIRE.
For more information and to see a map of evacuation zones, click here.
All evacuation orders have been downgraded for areas near the Crown Fire burning in north Los Angeles County, but an evacuation warning remains in place for some.
Zone LAC-E087 was downgraded to an evacuation warning from an evacuation order. Evacuation warnings were lifted for zones AGD-AIRPORT-A, AGD-BRIGGS-A, AGD-ROCKS-A, LAC-E038, LAC-E040, LAC-E086 and LAC-E089.
The 345-acre Crown Fire in Acton is now 25% contained, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Forward progress was stopped around 4 p.m.
See further details and a map of the evacuation zones here.
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.
