Shore Fire burns over 2,000 acres in Riverside County, evacuations ordered

Fire pushed across the Badlands southwest of Calimesa, where the Shore Fire spread near San Timoteo Canyon Road and the rugged corridor between Interstate 10 and Highway 60. By the latest update at 12:04 a.m. on June 16, CAL FIRE said the blaze had burned 2,053 acres and was 20% contained.

The fire started June 15 at 3:23 p.m., and evacuation orders were issued for zones RVC-0231-B and RVC-0231-C as flames moved through the Riverside County hills. Evacuation warnings were also posted for additional zones, including BMT-0232 and RVC-0231A, signaling that the area around Calimesa remained under active threat as crews worked to slow the spread.

Officials set up Valley View High School in Moreno Valley as a shelter for both people and pets, while San Jacinto Animal Campus was designated for large animals. Highway 60 westbound at Interstate 10 was scheduled to close for several hours, even as eastbound traffic remained open, underscoring how closely the fire’s edge tracked the region’s main travel routes.

Multiple engine and hand crews from Riverside County Fire Department, Hemet Fire Department, Palm Springs Fire Department and CAL FIRE-San Bernardino County were sent to the scene. The cause remained under investigation. CAL FIRE’s fire season archive has warned that high grass fuel loads and drying conditions across Southern California can raise the risk of large fires across multiple fuel types, a pattern that now frames the Shore Fire’s rapid run through the roadside canyons and open ground west of Calimesa.