Juniper Fire in Riverside County quickly burns nearly 700 acres before firefighters stop forward progress
A quickly growing fire in Riverside County torched nearly 700 acres of land and prompted evacuation orders on Monday, according to authorities.
Dubbed the Juniper Fire, it was initially reported at 11:28 a.m. in unincorporated parts of Perris, near the area of Idaleona and Juniper roads, Cal Fire said.
As of an update provided at 5:45 p.m., firefighters reported that they had stopped the fire's forward progress. It burned about 689 acres and was fully-contained by Saturday. Officials said that 183 total personnel were battling the fire along with multiple water-dropping aircraft.
Images captured by SKYCal showed at least one structure burning and several horses escaping the flames. The fire also appeared to be traveling up and down a hill.
Cal Fire said it was growing at a "critical rate of speed."
No injuries were reported as of 1:56 p.m.
Evacuations
Mandatory evacuations and warnings were temporarily issued as the fire quickly grew, but all have since been lifted. An evacuation map can be found here. Santa Rosa Mine Road is closed between Juniper Road and Post Road.