Firefighters tackling the fast‑moving Bain Fire in California were forced to halt water‑dropping flights on Tuesday afternoon after at least three civilian drones were spotted over the blaze near Jurupa Valley, officials said. The Bane Fire, burning in the Santa Ana River bottom near Riverside since late Tuesday morning, had scorched about 1,375 acres by 8:30 p.m. local time and was only 10% contained.
The fire was first reported at 11:24 a.m. on 19 May on the north side of the dry river channel, close to Bain Street and Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley, just north of the Hidden Valley Nature Center, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Pushed by shifting winds through thick brush, it moved quickly towards nearby neighbourhoods, injuring residents, damaging structures and triggering a patchwork of mandatory evacuations and warnings across western Riverside.
By early evening, more than 100 firefighters from Riverside and neighbouring San Bernardino County were on the ground, backed by engines, hand crews and aircraft. Four civilians had been taken to hospital, three of them suffering from smoke inhalation and one with traumatic injuries. Officials said some buildings had been damaged but were not yet able to give a clear count or assess the extent of the destruction.
The air operation, which is often crucial in slowing the spread of fires burning in steep or hard‑to‑reach terrain, ran into an avoidable obstacle. Cal Fire spokesperson Capt John Clingingsmith said helicopters and fixed‑wing aircraft were ordered to stand down for around 10 to 15 minutes after at least three private drones were seen in the area.
Clingingsmith reminded residents that it is illegal to fly drones in an active fire zone and stressed that any such incursion forces pilots to pull back for safety. Every minute lost, he implied, is time the fire can use to grow.
As the afternoon wore on, the weather added to the challenge. Winds strengthened and shifted, driving the flames eastwards and complicating firefighting plans.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Four people have been injured and thousands are under evacuation orders.#BainFire#Riverside#jurupavalley#california#fyp
The Western Riverside Animal Shelter was also being evacuated by early evening, and two helicopters capable of flying at night were requested because of the continuing threat to life and property, according to Watch Duty, an app that monitors wildfire radio traffic and other official sources.
Officials said the cause of the Bain Fire remained under investigation. The Santa Ana River bottom has long been home to dense vegetation and homeless encampments, where small cooking or warming fires are common, but there was no immediate indication of what had sparked this particular blaze.
As the Bain Fire raced out of the riverbed towards residential streets shortly before 1 p.m., it triggered a series of evacuation orders around the intersection of Arlington and Western Avenues in Riverside. Dozens of homes on streets including Sunnyvale Drive, Mountain High Drive, Western Avenue and Western Hills Drive were told to evacuate as a precaution.
Source: International Business Times UK
