Nixon fire in southern Riverside County spreads rapidly, forcing evacuations
The Nixon fire near Aguanga in southern Riverside County exploded in size after the vegetation fire ignited Monday afternoon, growing to almost 4,000 acres by Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Photos and video from the scene showed some buildings destroyed by flames, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many were damaged and if they were homes. About 2,000 buildings were under evacuation orders and warnings, according to Tawny Castro, a spokesperson for Cal Fire’s Riverside County unit.
Firefighters responded to calls around 12:30 p.m. Monday about the blaze near Richard Nixon Boulevard in Aguanga, not far from Palomar Mountain and Riverside County’s border with San Diego County.
Within a few hours, the fire saw explosive growth, hitting 1,000 acres by 5 p.m. before almost tripling in size by 8 p.m., according to Cal Fire.
The Park fire’s growth amid steady winds and hot temperatures has been dramatic. It is the seventh-largest wildfire in California history and still growing.
It had swelled to 3,750 acres as of Monday morning with no containment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Further north in Kern County, the Borel fire continued to expand in and around Sequoia National Forest, growing to 57,306 acres Tuesday morning, according to federal officials. It was 17% contained.
The massive Park fire burning in Butte and Tehama counties, which has become the state’s fifth-largest wildfire in recorded history, continued to grow overnight, hitting 383,619 acres as of Tuesday morning, with 14% containment, according to Cal Fire.
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