Fire crews gained additional containment Monday on the nearly 8,000-acre Rabbit Fire in Riverside County, allowing some evacuation orders to be lifted.
The fire broke out Friday afternoon near Lakeview and moved quickly through dry brush just east of Gilman Springs Road, authorities said.
Video released by the University of California San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia network shows the flames surrounding communications equipment on Mount David as fire crews battled the intense flames amid triple-digit temperatures.
The fire was 35% contained as of midday Monday after charring 7,950 acres, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. An evacuation order impacting homes in zones one and two were downgraded to evacuation warnings.
“This is due to all the efforts of our firefighters. They’ve done an outstanding job of strengthening our control lines and mopping up,” said incident commander Josh Janssen.
ZONE 1: South of Seneca Springs, East of Highway 79, West of Manzanita Park Road, North of Forest Boundary Road
ZONE 2: South of East 1st Street, East of Olive Avenue, West of Highway 79, North of California Ave/Highway 79
Also, northbound Highway 79 from Gilman Springs Road to Beaumont Avenue and Gilman Springs between Alessandro Boulevard and Highway 79 reopened early Monday morning.
An evacuation order remains in effect for homes north of Gilman Springs Road, east of Jack Rabbit Trail, south of First Street, and west of Highway 79 and California Avenue.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Elsewhere in Riverside County, the Reche Fire was 85% contained after burning 437 acres. The 338-acre Gavilan Fire was 50% contained, authorities said.
