Rabbit wildfire 95% contained, burns 8,200 acres in Riverside County
Firefighters continued battling a large brush fire burning near Beaumont in Riverside County on Friday, July 21.
As of 7 a.m., the Rabbit wildfire burning near Beaumont is 95% contained and has burned 8,200 acres, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Firefighters faced excessive heat and low relative humidity, along with steep rugged terrain as they worked to strengthen containment lines and provide suppression repairs when necessary, according to the department.
Firefighters will continue to patrol overnight and extinguish interior fires within the burned area, a department official said.
Full containment is expected by Sunday, two days later than previously expected, according to the department. All evacuation warnings were lifted as of noon Wednesday.
The fire has burned 8,283 acres, a figure that has not changed since Monday night when it was updated from 7,950 acres.
The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. July 14 northeast of Gilman Springs Road and Jack Rabbit trail. Officials said 152 structures were threatened, but no structures have been destroyed or damaged.
A total of 184 fire engines, 20 water tenders, seven helicopters and 30 hand crews were involved in the firefighting effort, numbering 1,578 total personnel, according to Cal Fire Riverside. Additional air tankers were flying in from throughout the state.
One person was injured. There identity was not released and there were no details on how serious the injury was.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The Rabbit Fire was the largest of four brush fires that broke out July 14 and 15 across Riverside County. The other three were fully or nearly fully contained by Tuesday.
