4 injured, evacuations ordered in Riverside County wildfire

The Anza Fire is now at 500 acres and has a potential to grow to 1,000 acres by night fall.

Crews have increased containment of a small wildfire sparked by a burning motor-home in rural Riverside County that forced evacuations and left one person burned. The highway is closed between Palm Desert and Route 371.

The 487-acre blaze started about 11:44 a.m. Monday in the community of Anza after a motor home fire spread into nearby brush along the highway, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Early reports indicated that a driver on Highway 74 suffered second-degree burns over 3 percent of his body when the flames spread to his vehicle. The number of homes impacted could not be confirmed. The other three injuries were firefighters who sustained minor injuries battling the blaze.

Now there are no structures threatened, she said.

This article was originally published at 7:26 p.m. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the grounds were occupied.

Caltrans District 8 said both east- and westbound lanes of the 74 were shut down in the area.

Several air tankers and water-dropping helicopters have been called to the scene in the Santa Rosa Mountains south of Palm Desert.