Firefighters in Riverside County made progress in battling four wildfires Sunday as a heat wave broke records across the state and sent residents scrambling for relief.
The largest of the fires, the Rabbit fire, burning in the area of Lakeview south of Moreno Valley, had consumed 7,600 acres and was 10% contained, authorities said Sunday. The blaze threatened more than 150 structures, and steep terrain made it slow going, but CalFire spokesperson Rich Cordova said firefighters made “great progress” overnight.
One woman suffered severe burns and was taken by helicopter to a burn center, Cordova said. She was rescued near where the fire started on Gilman Springs Road, he said.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the Rabbit fire, which began Friday, or others burning in Riverside County, but Cordova said heavy winter rains resulted in abundant grasses and “any little spark could cause the devastation of a wildfire.”
“Residents need to be more cautious” when pursuing recreation or even landscaping activities, he said, because “any little spark, and a fire will take off.”
Firefighters were also making progress against other fires burning near Moreno Valley. The Reche fire, which burned 437 acres in an unincorporated area north of town had reached 60% containment early Sunday, officials said. Video from the scene showed at least one structure engulfed in flames, but it was unclear whether any others had been damaged.
The Highland fire, which has been burning in the Beaumont-Banning area, was 70% contained and had burned 105 acres. Evacuations in that area have been lifted. And the Gavilan fire, which burned 338 acres, was 50% contained.
Temperatures on Sunday were expected once again to exceed triple digits in the San Fernando Valley and reach 110 degrees in the Antelope Valley, while portions of San Luis Obispo County were forecast to hit 105, said Mike Wofford, meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s office in Oxnard.
“All the interior…