More evacuations ordered as Highland Fire spreads to 2,500 acres; 10% contained

More parts of southern Riverside County were evacuated Tuesday as a fire burning near Aguanga and Palomar Mountain continued to spread.

The Highland Fire grew to nearly 2,500 acres, and the area saw more windy weather on Tuesday. Cal Fire reported the fire was 10% contained.

In its Tuesday evening incident update, the department said steep and rugged terrain continue to be a challenge for firefighters.

"The fire growth throughout the day was minimal; however, easterly winds continued and are forecast to remain in the area through Thursday evening, which have the potential to continue pushing the fire in a west/southwest direction," Cal Fire said.

The vegetation fire was first reported Monday in an area near the intersection of Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos Road, east of Aguanga.

The fire spread west and was actively near the intersection of Highway 371 and El Pasta Road north of Aguanga overnight, Cal Fire spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa said in a video briefing posted online Tuesday. Early Tuesday morning, the fire moved south and west toward Highway 79, leading Cal Fire to order more areas evacuated.

Cal Fire said three structures were confirmed destroyed while six others have been damaged, but hadn't yet determined whether any of those structures were homes. A different agency spokesperson said damage assessment teams were going through the burned area Tuesday. One firefighter was injured as of Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire expanded its early evacuation order of the area Tuesday morning. The area under evacuation order now extends several miles west, north and east of Aguanga and encompasses terrain stretching to the San Diego county line to the south and past Lake Vail to the northwest.

Additional areas to the north and east that stretch to Lake Riverside and nearly to Glenoak Hills have been placed under evacuation warning, which means evacuation is recommended but not required. A searchable online map of the evacuation order and warning area can be found at linktr.ee/calfirerru.

A care and reception center is available at Great Oak High School, located at 32555 Deer Hollow Way in Temecula. San Jacinto Animal Shelter is also open for large animals, at 581 S. Grand Avenue in San Jacinto.

Cal Fire wrote online Tuesday that 310 firefighters have been assigned to the fire, along with three helicopters and air tankers.

"We do have adequate resources with engines and hand crews that are here and still coming," Cline De La Rosa said.

Fire causing air quality concerns in Aguanga, Temecula

A smoke advisory was issued by South Coast Air Quality Management District for areas west and southwest of Aguanga because of the fire Tuesday afternoon. The advisory, which will remain in effect through 10 a.m. Thursday, states that winds are currently transporting smoke west and southwest toward Temecula and San Clemente.

It also notes that smoke concentrations in the mornings are likely to be elevated, while lighter winds will likely lead to greater smoke concentrations closer to the fire. AQMD recommends that people in areas impacted by smoke reduce their exposure and resulting risk by staying indoors, not using swamp coolers or fans that bring in outside air and wearing N95 or P100 respirators if they do spend time outside.

The agency also maintains an online air quality map that is updated hourly at aqmd.gov. As of 3 p.m., the air quality was rated a "good," the best rating, in Aguanga, Temecula, San Clemente and surrounding areas, according to the map.

Windy weather to continue in area through Wednesday

Tuesday brought more windy weather to Aguanga, with winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts as high as 30 mph expected. The winds are expected to start decreasing overnight and into Wednesday, although gusts of up to 30 mph will remain possible.

While much of Southern California has been dealing with windy weather since Friday, the San Gorgonio Pass has seen some of the windiest weather of all with the National Weather Service recording a 72 mph gust in Banning early Monday and a 50 mph one in Cabazon around noon.

The service said Friday that the strong, dry winds were interacting with the dry vegetation in many areas to produce "critical fire weather" and was urging residents to exercise extreme caution when handling anything that could cause fire.

However, the Cal Fire spokesperson said the fire near Aguanga was the only significant one currently burning in Riverside County. Another much smaller fire is burning near the Mexican border east of San Diego. Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning that fire is 24 acres and 60% contained.

City News Service contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cal Fire orders more evacuations as Highland Fire grows; 10% contained