Evacuations lifted as Bain Fire burns nearly 1,500 acres in Riverside County, now 81% contained
All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted as crews continue to make progress on the Bain Fire that has burned nearly 1,500 acres in Riverside County on Friday.
The fire began just before 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the Santa Ana Riverbed near Bain Street and Limonite Avenue in the Mira Loma neighborhood of Jurupa Valley and has since grown to 1,497 acres, according to Cal Fire.
As of Friday night, the blaze was said to be 81% contained.
Cal Fire has reported that at least five people were injured, including four civilians and one firefighter. Three of the civilian injuries were due to smoke inhalation, while one was an unspecified "traumatic injury." The exact conditions of the injured remain unknown.
Riverside County Sheriff's Office officials told CBS LA that a man was taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly flying a drone over the burn zone, which led to the temporary halt of all emergency aircraft working to mitigate the flames.
Evacuations orders and warnings
After days of mandatory evacuation orders and warnings in effect, they were all lifted on Friday afternoon. An evacuation shelter had been established at the Skyview Event Center at 5257 Event Center Jurupa Valley, CA 91751.
Air quality alert
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has an air quality alert due to the fire particle pollution from the wildfire smoke across Southern California.
The alert is in effect for portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties until 10 p.m. on Thursday.
"Particles in wildfire smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, and difficulty breathing," said the National Weather Service.
AQMD officials recommended that affected residents remain indoors with windows and doors closed with air conditioning or an air purifier running. Avoid using swamp coolers or whole-house fans that bring in air from the outside. When going outside, they recommend people wear a well-fitting N-95 mask.
