BEAUMONT (CNS) - A brush fire that broke out today alongside the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway just west of Beaumont scorched 25 acres in an hour and prompted the partial closure of the freeway. The non-injury brusher was reported about 1:40 p.m. on the eastbound side of the 60, near Jack Rabbit Trail, in a sparsely populated area known as the Badlands, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Riverside County Fire Department crews arrived within minutes and encountered flames on both sides of the freeway.
A fire department spokeswoman said two air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were called in to make runs on the fire, which had spread to 25 acres by 2:20 p.m.The CHP temporarily closed both sides of the 60, beginning at Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley to the west and Jack Rabbit Trail to the east. However, the agency opened the No. 1 lanes on both sides of the freeway at 2:15 p.m., allowing traffic to crawl through, according to reports from the scene.
There was no word on what triggered the blaze or when it might be contained.