CA-RRU- ELM - WUI Fire - 270 acres, 100%

CARRU-59617 - CAL FIRE/Riverside County Firefighters are on scene of a wild land fire near the intersection of Ida Avenue X Elm Street in Cabazon.

CA-RRU- ELM - WUI Fire
View CA-RRU- ELM - WUI Fire - Structure Threat -270 acres, 0% in a larger Google map
Heads Up! Possible Foen winds this evening

Update: 0830 hrs 07/08/2008- Fire is 100% contained. Full control is expected by 6:00 p.m. this evening. Three engines and four fire crews are assigned to the incident today for mop-up and patrolling containment lines.
Update: 2100 hrs - Fire is 60% contained and estimating full containment by 8:00 a.m. on 7/8/2009. Full control is anticipated by 6:00 p.m. on 7/8/2009.
Update: 1850 hrs - Fire is now approximately 270 acres.
Update: 1700 hrs - Fire is now approximately 150 acres with 0% containment. Fire is backing down the hill towards homes in Cabazon South OP's just dispatched about 3 type 1 Strike Teams code 3 to the fire. H-538 off base Ramona en-route to the fire, ETA 35 minutes. H-554 is committed.
Update: 1600 hrs - IC req additional handcrews. AT- 71 on the way
Update: 1545 hrs - Fire is approximately 110 acres and burning in steep, rugged terrain. No structures threatened, no evacuations.

Initial sizeup: First arriving units reported two acres burning midslope against the wind with a potential of 2000+ acres.
Resources Assigned:
Firefighters: 200 RVC
Overhead Personnel: 6
Engines: 11
Fire Crews: 10
Water Tenders: 3
Bulldozers: 2
Air Tankers: 4
Helicopters: 5
Air Attack: 1
Comms: RRU 2 / CDF TAC 22
Weather: Cabazon Temp 88. RH 29 winds at 16 mph
Cause: CAL FIRE Investigators have released the cause of the Elm Fire as vehicle-caused. A 23-year old male from Beaumont was cited for a misdemeaner violation "causing a fire by a negligent action" under the Health and Safety Code section 13001. The male subject was riding a motorcycle in the wildland area south of the community of Cabazon when he lost control of the motorcycle and "laid it down". The hot exhaust ignited the dry vegetation and the fire spread quickly due to the winds. The subject ran for help at a residence after trying to extinguish the fire. The subject had been warned several weeks ago by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department that riding motorcycles in the wildland was not legal. The motorcycle was impounded by CAL FIRE Investigators and the department will pursue civil cost recovery from the subject for the cost associated with suppressing the fire.

RRU website incident info - Link CARRU-59617 - Public Information Officer Captain Julie Hutchinson is at the scene and can be reached at 951-377-8380.