Gavilan Fire: Latest Riverside County wildfire leads to evacuation order near Perris

Andrew L. John, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Updated ·2 min read
Smoke hangs over Palm Springs as seen from above Interstate 10 and Bob Hope Drive in Thousand Palms on Saturday.
Smoke hangs over Palm Springs as seen from above Interstate 10 and Bob Hope Drive in Thousand Palms on Saturday.

The Gavilan Fire, burning near the town of Perris, has grown to 250 acres and is 50% contained, according to an update Sunday morning from CalFire.

The fire was first reported at 3:28 p.m. Saturday on Gavilan Road, near Idaleona Road, in the Gavilan Hills area. Riverside County firefighters were on the scene, along with additional ground and air resources.

An evacuation warning area and road closures remained in place as of Sunday morning. By 6 p.m. Saturday, the evacuation order was expanded to east of Norbert, north of El Nido, west of Lee/San Jacinto and south of Gustin as the fire had spread to 150 acres.

A care and reception center for evacuees has been set up at Martin Luther King High School at 9301 Wood Road in Riverside. Large and small animals can be taken to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services shelter at 6851 Van Buren Blvd. in Jurupa Valley.

More: Extreme heat warning converges with weekend smoke advisory in the Coachella Valley

The blaze was the latest to put firefighters into action this weekend in the western part of the county. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an advisory Saturday, after more than 5,000 acres had burned.

The Highland Fire in Beaumont grew to over 100 acres as of Saturday morning, and the Reche Fire around Moreno Valley burned 437 acres. The former was 70% contained and the latter was 60% contained as of Sunday morning.

The Rabbit Fire, a blaze near Lakeview, grew to over 7,600 acres Saturday evening, becoming the most concerning of the three fires. On Sunday, CalFire said the fire was 10% contained.

Windmills are seen in the foreground as smoke hangs over the Coachella Valley in the background, as seen Saturday from north of Palm Springs.
Windmills are seen in the foreground as smoke hangs over the Coachella Valley in the background, as seen Saturday from north of Palm Springs.

Smoke from the wildfires, converging with a days-long heat wave, is expected to make for some potentially dangerous and unhealthful conditions in the Coachella Valley in the coming days.

An excessive heat warning is in place until 11 p.m. Wednesday in the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass, where high temperatures of 115 to 121 degrees are expected, according to the National Weather Service.

A smoke advisory has also been issued through at least Sunday, due to extreme temperatures and wildfire smoke coming from the western part of Riverside County.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Gavilan Fire: Wildfire evacuation order issued near town of Perris