Tenaja Fire prompts mandatory evacuations for homes along The Trails Circle in La Cresta and the Copper Canyon neighborhood in Murrieta, officials said.
CAMARILLO, Calif. - The fast-moving Tenaja Fire continued to burn in Southern California on Thursday morning after charring nearly 1,000 acres, triggering mandatory evacuations for hundreds of residents, authorities said. The fire broke out around 4 p.m. in La Cresta, a small community perched above Murrieta that contains sprawling, multimillion-dollar estates. Cal Fire said it originated near Tenaja Road and Clinton Keith Road, swelling from 50 acres at 6 p.m. to 994 by 9 p.m. Wednesday.
He said the fire was feeding on medium to heavy fuels and still posting a threat to the nearby community. A battalion chief at the scene said the flames appeared to be headed toward an old burn scar, which could starve the flames of fuel overnight. A thunderstorm cell moved through the area just prior to the fire, and it's suspected that a lightning strike ignited it.
Thunderstorms could occur Thursday about 20 miles east of the fire, Miller said. It doesn't appear as if there's a chance the storms will travel to the burn area."Thunderstorms often bring very strong gusty winds — erratic winds," he said."That's bad news for any firefighters near the fire. It also makes it hard to stay safe, let alone strategically fight the fire."All Murrieta Valley Unified schools will be closed Thursday, Murrieta police said.
On most evenings, Blake Smedley and his fiancée Valerie Hartford ride their bedazzled bikes with portable loudspeakers in a canyon overlooking Murrieta. But on Wednesday night, the couple encountered something they've rarely seen: fire.
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