Firefighters continue to battle a brush fire in Riverside County that quickly grew in size, prompting the deployment of multiple air and ground resources and issuing evacuation orders in nearby areas.
Dubbed the Volcano Fire, it was first reported on July 7 near the intersection of Volcano and Tenaja Roads in the unincorporated La Cresta area of Murrieta, according to CAL FIRE.
As of the latest update at 10:11 p.m. Tuesday, the fire has burned 138 acres near the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve and has reached 25% containment.
Authorities said there have been no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters.
Fire officials are currently investigating the cause of the blaze.
VEGETATION FIRE – Rpt @ 2:50 p.m. Via Volcano / Tenaja Rd. in La Cresta. Firefighters are on scene of five acres of vegetation burning in medium fuels. Multiple air and ground resources are assigned. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.#VolcanoFIRE… pic.twitter.com/NwQ9n396k4
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) July 7, 2026
Crews are expected to continue working through the night and will be assisted by night-flying helicopters.
Earlier on Tuesday, firefighters responded to a vegetation fire that was burning at a moderate rate through medium fuels. The fire was reported at around 3:20 p.m.
An additional 10 engines and aircraft were requested, along with personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the Emergency Management Department.
The rapid spread of the blaze prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders and expand the evacuation zones in the following hour.
By 5 p.m., fire officials reported an immediate threat to life and requested 15 additional fire engines and two water tankers as structures became imminently threatened, according to CAL FIRE.
A “no divert” order was issued on air tankers, ensuring aircraft assigned to the fire incident remained dedicated to the firefighting efforts.
As firefighters remained focused on containing the blaze, evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings by evening.
Crews focused on strengthening containment lines and extinguishing hotspots.
As of Tuesday night, an evacuation order remained in effect for only zone RVC-2146. Reminding residents that it was a lawful order to evacuate immediately, officials said that the area is closed to public access.
Evacuation warnings remained in place for the following zones:
- RVC-2076
- RVC-2077
- RVC-2143-A
- RVC-2144
- RVC-2198-A
- RVC-2246
- RVC-2292
- RVC-2145
- RVC-2147
- RVC-2197
- RVC-2198-B
- RVC-2243
- RVC-2244
- RVC-2245
Residents of these areas may return to their homes but should remain ready to evacuate if conditions change.
An evacuation shelter has been established at Chaparral High School in Temecula.
A large animal evacuation shelter has also been set up at the Murrieta Equestrian Center in Murrieta.
The firefighting response includes 117 personnel, 11 engines, a water tender, two helicopters, and five hand crews. Numerous air tankers from across California have also been assigned to the incident.
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