PERRIS, Calif. (CNS) — The Juniper Fire in Riverside County has reached 95% containment after burning 755 acres, prompting authorities to lift all evacuation warnings.
Cal Fire Riverside reported early Wednesday that crews will continue patrolling the area throughout the day to ensure full containment. Residents were urged to remain cautious when traveling through the fire zone.
Personnel assigned to the fire has been scaled back to 15, including five engines.
The fire broke out at 11:20 a.m. Monday near Ann Way and Juniper Road in the Perris area. Crews from the Riverside County Fire Department, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and other agencies responded quickly, facing flames moving at a moderate pace through light brush to the southeast.
Firefighters halted the fire’s forward progress later that day and began constructing containment lines.
Initially, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas north of Rocky Hills Road, south of Orange Avenue, west of Forrest Road, and east of El Nido Road. These were lifted by Monday evening. Evacuation warnings for nearby areas—south of Idaleona Road and north of Santa Rosa Mine Road—were also lifted by Tuesday afternoon.
A care and reception center had been set up at Citrus Hill High School in Perris during the evacuations.
Two outbuildings were destroyed, though no homes were lost. One firefighter sustained a minor injury and was treated at Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
Around 2 p.m. Monday, the fire split into two separate fronts driven by winds of 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph, spreading into the Good Hope area. However, by 4 p.m., forward progress of the entire blaze had been stopped.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
