LOS ANGELES — A deadly blaze near Hemet was burning on all sides and stubbornly outpacing firefighters’ efforts to contain its spread Wednesday, ballooning to 9,846 acres by afternoon, fire officials said.
The Fairview fire, which has killed two people, has forced officials to continue expanding evacuation orders as the flames move dangerously close to homes and communities over two days. It remained at 5% containment as it continued to burn past fire lines, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
By Wednesday evening, the most active flames were moving mostly in a south and southeast direction, officials said.
“Unfortunately the fire continued to outpace our efforts and burned actively on all flanks,” Cal Fire Chief Josh Janssen said during a Wednesday morning news conference. “It was clear that the fire was outpacing our air and ground resources.”
In the morning, Janssen estimated that the fire could grow past 7,000 acres. By evening, the flames had outpaced those predictions as the fire closed in on 10,000 acres.
Riverside County proclaimed a local emergency Wednesday, a move that could make the county eligible for state and federal assistance for damages and costs associated with the fire.
Evacuation orders were issued for an area from Thomas Mountain Ridge south to Cactus Valley Road to Bautista Canyon Road to a forest boundary. A previous evacuation order was issued for the area south of Stetson Avenue, north of Cactus Valley, west of Fairview Avenue and east of State Street.
By Wednesday afternoon, officials expanded the evacuation area again, to include residents south of Cactus Valley Road, north of Minto Way, north of Red Mountain Road, east of Sage Road and west of the U.S. Forest Service boundary.
The fire was slightly active overnight and Cal Fire decided to establish a unified command with the Hemet Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service after the blaze outpaced Cal Fire’s ground and aerial resources, Janssen said.
More than 280 firefighters continued to toil in triple-digit heat. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures reached a high of 106 degrees. Thursday is not likely to bring a respite for firefighters, with a forecast high of 103.
On Friday, there is a chance of showers hitting the fire area, which could aid firefighters in extinguishing flames but could also trigger dangerous mudflows in areas that have been burned.
Two people were found dead inside a vehicle in the 4240 block of Avery Canyon Road in eastern Hemet, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Brandi Swan. The people appeared to be trying to flee the fire. They have not yet been identified because of the condition of their remains, Swan said.
A female family member of the victims was also found “severely burned” outside the vehicle, was transported to a local hospital and is expected to survive, Swan said. Her identity has also not been released.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, but Southern California Edison said there was “circuit activity” around the same time the fire was reported at 3:37 p.m. Pacific time on Monday.
It’s unclear whether Edison’s equipment played a role in the blaze and what the circuit activity was. Edison reported the incident Monday night to the California Public Utilities Commission.
An evacuation center has been set up at Tahquitz High School in Hemet for displaced residents.
All schools within the Hemet Unified School District remained closed Wednesday, according to Shane Reichardt of the Riverside County Emergency Management Department.
Officials urged residents near the fire to be prepared to evacuate.
“We want residents to have a plan and to prepare a ‘go-bag’ should they be asked to evacuate,” Reichardt said.
