Two wildfires that broke out within a mile of each other in Riverside County on Wednesday quickly merged and spread to at least 50 acres as of 1:42 p.m., officials said.
Originally dubbed separately as the Brad Fire and the Bradford Fire, the Riverside County Fire Department told KTLA that the flames intertwined in the brush of Aguanga, located in the Inland Empire region of the county.
Now referred to only as the Brad Fire, crews first reported the flames at 12:34 p.m. near Lugo Road and Highway 371. The vegetation was burning at a moderate rate of speed, and crews called for additional resources to help slow the spread.
Unconfirmed reports from the Watch Duty app indicate the fire has the potential to burn up to 200 acres and may be threatening at least 10 structures.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s incident log — which includes preliminary communications not yet independently confirmed by KTLA — authorities are discussing closing Highway 371 in both directions and possible evacuations in the area.
Sky5 is en route to the scene and will bring you live updates once overhead.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to CAL FIRE.
This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for updates.
