By: Hayley Smith
Source: Los Angeles Times (TNS)
A wildfire erupted in Riverside County on Tuesday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders and threatening multiple structures in Perris.
The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. in the 19000 block of Santa Rosa Mine Road, according to Alex Izaguirre, a spokesman for the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.
Within an hour, the blaze — dubbed the Juniper fire — had grown to at least 15 acres with a "critical rate of spread," he said.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for residents south of Blue Sky Road; east of El Baquero Road; west of Maywood Club Road; and north of Rocky Hills Road. An evacuation map is available here.
Izaguirre could not immediately confirm whether any structures had been destroyed. Aerial footage of the fire captured by KTLA-TV Channel 5 indicates that at least three structures may have been burned, and several more are threatened.
About 100 firefighters are battling the blaze from the air and the ground, including 19 engine companies and four air tankers, Izaguirre said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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