Fireworks sparked Riverside brush fire that destroyed 6 homes, officials say

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- A brush fire that destroyed at least six homes in a Riverside neighborhood was sparked by fireworks, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said Monday.

During a news conference, Lock Dawson said camera footage shows the suspects fleeing the area, and a vehicle of interest is being reviewed by investigators.

Authorities are searching for the suspects.

"We will ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the mayor said. "Let me repeat that. We will prosecute those responsible for this incident."

Lock Dawson said the fire has destroyed at least six homes and damaged seven others.

"Once assessments are complete, I fear there may be more to report," Lock Dawson said.

The Hawarden Fire was first reported just after 1 p.m. Sunday off Hawarden Drive. By early Monday morning, it was estimated at 527 acres with 20% containment.

The mayor added that there's been $10 million worth of damage done to homes. More than $1 million has been spent on resources used to battle the blaze.

Riverside hit 102 degrees on Sunday amid a heat wave largely focused on the interior of the state.

"The topography of the area allowed for rapid fire spread, so getting resources in the area fast enough proved challenging because the fire was moving faster than we could catch up initially," said Riverside Fire Department Deputy Chief Steve McKinster during a Monday morning press conference.

When evacuation orders were issued, residents like Fariba Jafary had to think fast.

"Tears, hysteria, then ... 'Pull yourself together. You can only do what you can do,'" Jafary thought as the fire was erupting. "Everyone's OK. You have what you need. Then ... just protect your home and that's it. It's all you can do, but the most important thing is your family, the things you have that are precious to you. We got everything we needed to get out of there. It's going to be ok, no matter what."

Maihanh Tran was with her family and away from her home when she was alerted to the fire in her neighborhood.

"I got a phone call that there was a fire really close to my house, and I should check on it," she said. "I looked at my security cameras, and I saw that there was smoke inside the house, around the house and one of the windows had blown out."

Tran says when she and her family dashed home, she was touched to see firefighters salvaged priceless items from her torched residence.

"They actually came out with a box of our photos," Tran said. "My heart goes out because, you know, they risked their lives ... that was my belongings, that wasn't even for a human life. They did that because they knew how much that meant to us."

Tran said everything they owned is now gone.

The orders were lifted Monday morning, but the work continues. McKinster said there are still hot spots that need to be put out.

"That's what we'll be focusing on," he said. "We're well prepared, have enough resources, 21 fire engines, two hand crews, to help us mitigate any issues that we have."

More fires in the Inland Empire

The Eagle Fire was reported around 2 p.m. Sunday to the east of Corona starting in the area near Eagle Canyon and Cajalco roads.

By late Monday morning, the fire burned 1,609 acres with 65% containment. The evacuation warnings were lifted.

A smaller blaze, the Saddle Fire, was reported in the morning on Empty Saddle Trail in Riverside County but was contained at under 3 acres.

Another fire, called the Blue Fire, was burning in the San Bernardino National Forest around 2:30 p.m. Sunday at about 5 acres.