Firefighters are battling a large and rapidly spreading wildfire that erupted in Moreno Valley on Friday.
Named the “Rabbit Fire,” the brush fire is located near the intersection of Alessandro Boulevard and Jack Rabbit Trail in the community of Lakeview.
As of 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the blaze had scorched 4,500 acres near Moreno Valley, with other nearby fires burned a combined 500 acres in other parts of the Inland Empire.
The “Rabbit Fire” was initially reported as 20 acres with a rapid rate of spread just shortly before 4 p.m.
The flames later spread to around 600 acres by 6 p.m. before exploding to 1,500 acres around 7 p.m., Cal Fire officials confirmed.
By 7:30 p.m., the fire grew to around 2,815 acres and by 11 p.m., the fire grew to 3,000 acres.
Located in a grass and brush-heavy area, a private ranch property is being threatened by the moving flames. Fire crews have surrounded the property with flame retardant.
“All of a sudden, I see this puff of smoke come up and all chaos broke loose,” said Emmanuel Castro, a Moreno Valley resident. “The whole hill caught on fire then across the street and then it jumped to my lawn. My horse was over there pasturing and I had to save my horse.”
Multiple road closures are in place including Gilman Springs from Alessandro Boulevard to Highway 79, Bridge Street from Gilman Springs Road to Ramona Expressway and on Highway 79 near Lambs Canyon from Gilman Springs to California Avenue.
Air tankers along with ground crews and fire engines from Cal Fire and Riverside County are working to extinguish the massive blaze.
“Unfortunately, the Rabbit incident continues to burn,” said Capt. Richard Cordova with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire. “The only good news about that fire is that it’s an open area, so there are no homes, so we have no evacuation orders or warnings put in place.”
The Rabbit Fire is located near multiple brush fires that broke out in the Inland Empire on Friday afternoon including the Reche Fire and the Highland Fire.
Heavy smoke from all three wildfires in the area has created extremely poor visibility and air quality for residents. A smoke advisory was issued by the South Coast AQMD for the Moreno Valley area.
The advisory will be in effect from Friday 4 p.m. through Saturday 4 p.m.
Air quality impact levels could reach the unhealthy category in the afternoon hours from winds and “high levels of ozone (smog) due to the current heat wave,” officials said.
Those living in an area impacted by smoke should:
-Limit your exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or seeking alternate shelter.
-Avoid vigorous physical activity.
-Run your air conditioning and/or an air purifier. If possible, do not use swamp coolers or whole-house fans that bring in outside air.
-Avoid burning wood in your fireplace or firepit and minimize sources of indoor air pollution such as candles, incense, pan-frying, and grilling.
-If you must be outside, a properly fitted N95 or P100 respirator may provide some protection.
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are also in effect for the Inland Empire as temperatures over the weekend are expected to reach highs of 100s and will peak in the 110s in the Coachella Valley.
All wildfire impacts and closures can be found here. Updated air quality impacts can be found here. All heat advisories and weather warnings can be found here.
This developing story will be updated.