Environment
Deadly Fairview Fire In Hemet Grows To Nearly 3,000 Acres
The Fairview fire has spread rapidly on the outskirts of Hemet in Riverside County.
The latest map from FIRIS, a state-funded fire intelligence program, has shown that the deadly Fairview fire in Hemet reached 2,956 acres even as firefighters struggled to contain it. The brush fire had broken out around 2. p.m. Monday and spread rapidly on the outskirts of Hemet in Riverside County.
Two people have been recorded dead, and another injured as they attempted to flee.
It is unknown if the people were related or from the same household. A sky video has since shown charred homes on the now-barren mountains east of State Street and south of Stetson Avenue. Firefighters weren’t only contending with challenging terrain, smoke, and flames but also triple-digit temperatures.
The high reached 105 degrees in Hemet, and a prolonged heat wave will likely keep temperatures near the same number.
“The fire activity has been very unpredictable,” Cal Fire spokesperson Rob Roseen said at a news conference. He added he didn’t have an update on how many structures were damaged or destroyed in the fire, but Cal Fire had tweeted that seven structures had been destroyed as of Monday night. As of now, mandatory evacuations remain in place for approximately 3,400 homes areas.
According to Shane Reinhardt, the Hemet Unified School District has announced that all schools will be closed.
Shane, the Riverside County Emergency Management Department spokesperson, added the district will provide updates on the closure to students/families and that an evacuation center has been established at Tahquitz High School at 4425 Titan Trail in Hemet. Small animals can be brought to the location.
