Two Inland Empire Brush Fires Scorch 5,300 Acres
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RIVERSIDE — Two brush fires were burning out of control in the Inland Empire late Friday--a 4,600-acre blaze between Corona and Lake Elsinore along Interstate 15 and a 700-acre fire near Redlands in San Bernardino County.
The Riverside County fire was started Thursday afternoon by a 13-year-old boy who was playing with fire and was not expected to be contained until today, said Joanne Evans, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry in Perris.
The fire was being fought by 700 firefighters in rough, hilly terrain. There were no injuries and the only structural damage was the loss of a camper shell, she said.
The Redlands fire was started Friday afternoon by a spark from a lawn mower and quickly grew to encompass more than 700 acres, said spokeswoman Mariam Delgado.
More than 200 firefighters were assigned to that blaze, and some residents in the area--including members of a nearby nudist camp between Redlands and Moreno Valley--were told to prepare to evacuate their residences.
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