Bain Fire burns 100-plus acres, forces Riverside evacuation near Jurupa Valley

A fast-moving brush fire swept through the dry Santa Ana River channel near Jurupa Valley on Tuesday, burning more than 100 acres and triggering evacuation orders in several Riverside neighborhoods, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The blaze, named the Bain Fire, broke out in a stretch of riverbed known for homeless encampments and year-round open fires — underscoring the persistent wildfire threat along the Santa Ana River corridor, a dry channel that extends westward through Orange County.

The fire was first reported at 11:22 a.m. Tuesday on the north side of the dry Santa Ana River channel, in the area of Bain Street and Limonite Avenue, north of Hidden Valley Nature Center, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Crews from Riverside County and the Riverside Fire Department deployed multiple engine and hand crews to contain the blaze as it advanced at a moderate rate through thick riverside brush. Two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters were also dispatched to the scene, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Firefighters applied Phos-Chek fire retardant from the air to slow the blaze's spread through the dense, dry vegetation, City News Service reported.

Riverside officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for several residential areas, including portions of Arlington Avenue between Crestview Drive and Western Avenue, as well as Sandy Lane, Sunnyvale Drive, Valley Drive and Fairhaven Drive.

The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Tuesday afternoon, City News Service reported. The Santa Ana River bottom has long sheltered homeless encampments where cooking and warming fires occur throughout the year, creating a chronic ignition risk in the dry, overgrown channel.

No injuries or structural damage had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters from multiple agencies remained on scene working to achieve full containment of the Bain Fire, the Riverside County Fire Department said.