2 fatalities at Fairview A 2,000-acre fire in Hemet forces evacuations
Authorities reported that a wildfire that started in Hemet on Monday quickly expanded to 2,000 acres, killing two people and injuring another.
According to the Riverside County Fire Department, the Fairview Fire damaged a number of additional buildings in addition to destroying at least seven of them, including some that seemed to be residences. At 10 p.m., the fire was 5% contained.
Around 1,500 properties in the vicinity south of Thornton Avenue, north of Polly Butte Road, west of Fairview Avenue, and east of State Street were first ordered to be evacuated.
Later, the area south of Stetson, north of Cactus Valley Road, west of Fairview, and east of State Street were included to the evacuation zone.
Tahquitz High School, located at 4425 Titan Trail in Hemet, has been converted into an evacuation centre.
Just a little bit after 3:30 in the afternoon, the Fairview Fire was discovered near Fairview Avenue and Bautista Road. It was first thought to be burning on 20 acres of light to medium vegetation, but due to the ongoing drought and this week’s heat wave, it had quickly grown to at least 500 acres by 5 p.m. It was projected to be 2,000 acres by 10 p.m.
In the Hemet region on Monday afternoon, the temperature reached nearly 104 degrees.
The fire’s origin is a mystery.