Crews From San Diego on Scene of Growing Nixon Fire in Riverside County

A fast-moving brush fire that erupted Monday south of Highway 371 in Aguanga has burned thousands of acres and at least one structure — despite the heavy presence of Cal Fire aircraft.

Winds were also shifting due to the hilly terrain, complicating firefighting efforts.

The non-injury “Nixon Fire” was reported at 12:28 p.m. in the area of Richard Nixon Boulevard and Tule Peak Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

An evacuation order was implemented for the scattered homes south of Richard Nixon and east of Tule Peak; Riverside County sheriff’s deputies were enforcing the order.

Deputies shut down Tule Valley Road south of Tule Peak for public safety.

Cal Fire-San Diego County joined multiple engine and hand crews from Riverside County and other agencies at the scene, where they encountered flames burning at a rapid rate to the east through medium brush.

Seven Cal Fire air tankers and four water-dropping helicopters initiated runs on the brush fire just before 1 p.m., initially slowing its advance before it accelerated again, according to reports from the scene. The air drops prevented the flames from reaching several houses on Tule Peak.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the blaze spread into the 2,300-acre burn scar from the Bonny Fire, which crews battled for over a week last July and August in Aguanga. With little fuel in the scar, the Nixon Fire lost momentum on one flank but continued to accelerate toward Iron Spring Mountain, on the boundary separating Riverside and San Diego counties.

The wilderness area is under the supervision of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

An evacuation center was established at Temecula Valley High School, 31555 Rancho Vista Road.

Sheriff’s deputies closed multiple roads, most of them dirt and gravel, throughout the fire zone.

There was no immediate word on how the fire began.

City News Service contributed to this report.

This story was updated to reflect the growth of the fire on Mon Jul. 29. 2024 at 9:04 p.m.