An evacuation warning was issued late Monday afternoon for the Shore Fire burning near Beaumont, as crews battled a fast-moving brush fire that remained uncontained. The warning covered zone RVC-0231B, and officials opened shelter options for people, pets and large animals as flames spread in the El Casco area.
By 4:30 p.m., the warning was in effect for zone RVC-0231B, with an evacuation shelter set up at Valley View High School, 13135 Nason St. in Moreno Valley. Large animals were directed to the San Jacinto Animal Campus, 581 S. Grand Ave. in San Jacinto, while sheriff's deputies shut down San Timoteo Canyon Road between Redlands Boulevard and Lake Shore for public safety.
The fire broke out Monday afternoon near San Timoteo Canyon Road, west of Fisherman's Retreat, in the unincorporated community of El Casco. It was first reported at about 3:20 p.m. near the 31000 block of the road, and multiple air and ground crews responded within minutes as water-dropping aircraft and ground units worked the flames.
Accounts of the blaze's size differed as the afternoon wore on. One report described it as 125 acres when the evacuation warning was issued, while another said by 6:15 p.m. it had grown to 500 acres and was still 0% contained. At 5:52 p.m., firefighters said containment was at zero. The cause remains under investigation.
El Casco sits in San Timoteo Canyon between Beaumont, Redlands and Moreno Valley, which put the warning squarely into a rural corridor where traffic, access and animal evacuation can become immediate problems. The next update will hinge on whether crews can get a line around the fire before it pushes farther toward nearby communities and road closures expand.
