LOS ANGELES _ A fast-moving brush fire that erupted in the hillsides near Murrieta and forced evacuations grew to 1,400 acres overnight, state fire officials said early Thursday.
More than 500 firefighters have been assigned to the Tenaja fire in Riverside County, which broke out about 4 p.m. Wednesday near Tenaja and Clinton Keith roads on a day marked by thunderstorms in the region. Three helicopters and six air tankers have been assigned to drop water and fire retardant on the blaze, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
No structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Humid conditions overnight helped fire crews boost containment of the blaze to 7%. However, firefighters are expected to be faced with challenging winds with gusts up to 20 mph and temperatures reaching into the high 90s on Thursday. The heat could further dry out dense grass and brush in the region, priming the fuel for burning, said Jimmy Taeger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.
There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms developing again Thursday afternoon, but the potential for any storms to affect the fire area is low, Taeger said.
By late Wednesday, the fire had chewed through nearly 1,000 acres in unincorporated Riverside County and appeared to be headed northeast toward Murrieta. The speed of the blaze and its proximity to homes prompted officials to order evacuations of homes along the Trails Circle in La Cresta and Copper Canyon, as well as the Santa Rosa Plateau Visitor Center along Clinton Keith Road. Residents of Murrieta's Bear Creek community are under voluntary evacuation.
Campuses in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District will also be closed Thursday as a precaution.
Nearby residents were surprised by the speed of the fire.
Rachel Gildersleeve, unaware of the seriousness of the fire that had just broken out, decided to take the back road home from school.
As she was driving, the 18-year-old Murrieta resident started to see smoke and then a small flame. The two cars in front of her kept going, and Gildersleeve looked at the burned ground and figured the fire must be contained.
But as she and the others drove on Tenaja Road toward Clinton Keith Road, the fire exploded around her. Without cell service, she couldn't call 911. Her only option was to keep driving.
"I was like, 'Oh my God' when I couldn't even see in front of me," Gildersleeve said. "At one point, the car in front of me disappeared. I couldn't see anything. All I saw was flames. All I saw was smoke, and I thought, 'I don't know if I'm going to make it.'"
Finally, the smoke started to clear, and Gildersleeve saw several firetrucks in the distance. She'd made it out alive.
Beth Maranville, 59, of Murrieta was standing near a ridge in Oakhurst Estates on Wednesday evening watching the fire grow closer to homes. Maranville had watched the fire when it was farther away near La Cresta and was shocked at how quickly it had chewed through brush.
About 8 p.m., law enforcement officers came through the area and asked Maranville and others to voluntarily evacuate, she said.
"I just saw the lights go out from the house that's closest," Maranville said. "They had already wet their house down. It's not looking good, but we've prayed, and we're going to trust God."
