Crews Respond to 70-Acre Brush Fire Near 15 Freeway in Temecula; Blaze Is 20 per cent Contained

Hundreds of firefighters were called to battle a brush fire that broke out near the 15 Freeway in Temecula Saturday afternoon and was 20 percent contained as of late evening.

The fire was reported south of Temecula Parkway about 11:40 a.m., according to a Riverside County Fire Department incident report.

The fire was initially reported as a small spot fire but had burned 70 acres as of 6:40 p.m., according to the Fire Department.

A firefighter was transported to a hospital after suffering an injury that was not life-threatening, the agency said.

No homes were threatened and no evacuations were listed, the incident report stated.

More than 370 firefighters and a helicopter were being used to battle the blaze.

All southbound lanes of the 15 Freeway were initially closed near the fire zone, as was one lane on the northbound side, the California Highway Patrol said. Shortly after 4 p.m., two of the southbound lanes were reopened to motorists with a safety escort from the CHP.

Firefighters were expected to remain at the scene overnight.

KTLA’s John A. Moreno and Kaitlin Propeck contributed to this report.