Crews making progress containing Southern California wildfire as some mandatory evacuations remain

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Crews made progress Saturday battling a smoky wildfire in southern California that broke out a day earlier and prompted mandatory evacuations.

Encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) in Riverside County, about 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the Springs Fire was at least 45% percent contained on Saturday, a fire department spokesperson said. It was 25% contained on Friday.

While gusts up to 45 mph (72 kph) were predicted Saturday, Terra Fernandez, public safety information specialist for the Riverside County Fire Department, said winds had “dissipated a bit” since Friday, helping the efforts of fire crews.

“We’re feeling confident. The winds have died down so it’s assisting us in making more progress,” she said. Fernandez also credited efforts to build and strengthen containment lines around the fire perimeter.

“We have natural equestrian trails around where a lot of the structures are and so that helps our firefighters make access.” she said. “And the humidity increasing this evening will also help.”

So far, no structures have been damaged or destroyed, Fernandez said.

Crews began early Saturday dropping water and retardant all around the fire by air. About 260 personnel are battling the blaze, including crews from around the region who are building and strengthening the containment lines and laying hose, she said.

Less than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders, while evacuation warnings in other parts of the county were lifted. It was not immediately known how many households were affected by the orders.

The fire is located in a populated unincorporated part of Riverside County that’s a recreational area near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.