Brush Fire Near Beaumont: 60 Freeway Through Badlands Reopened

UPDATE: The fire was fully contained at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BEAUMONT, CA — Crews remain on scene Thursday afternoon following a 104-acre brush fire in the hills near Beaumont that was likely sparked by an RV fire.

The blaze, which forced the near-complete shutdown of the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway between Beaumont and Moreno Valley, was first reported about 12:50 p.m. on the shoulder of the eastbound 60, near Jack Rabbit Trail, in the barren area known as the Badlands.

Several dozen engine crews and three hand crews — numbering about 130 personnel — from the county and surrounding jurisdictions were sent to the brusher, which spread to the south at a brisk pace until Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter made a series of runs that choked it off.

Shortly after 3 p.m., the fire's forward rate of spread was stopped, and crews had achieved 20 percent containment, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department officials said.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

The California Highway Patrol shut down all eastbound lanes on the 60, as well as one of two westbound lanes, between Jack Rabbit and the city limits of Moreno Valley while fire suppression efforts were active near the corridor. However, by 3:30 p.m., traffic was allowed through, although Caltrans reported the #2 lane remained closed. As of 5 p.m., traffic in the area was jammed.

The vehicle fire may have started because of an overheated engine, according to reports from the scene. The motorist was not injured, but the entire vehicle was consumed as flames extended into nearby vegetation.