Brush Fire Scorches Hillside Off 91 Freeway

The blaze was started when a car went up in flames along the roadway.

Commuters were greeted with a scorched hillside along the eastbound 91 Freeway in Corona Wednesday morning, the remains of a 6-acre blaze fire crews battled  throughout Tuesday night.

The fire was sparked when a car went up in flames along the roadway and eight hours after it started, it was 30 percent contained.

Two lanes were closed along the busy freeway near the Green River Road exit with crews continuing to monitor hot spots.

“Firefighters worked all night building, cutting brush along the fires edge, making sure it didn’t spread,” Div. Chief Silvio Lanza said, of Cal Fire-Riverside County.

The fire was reported around 10:30 p.m., said Jennifer Fuhrman of the Riverside County Fire Department.

Crews planned to keep the blaze under control Wednesday, leaving some with no choice but to climb up the steep hillside from the freeway.

“Because of the steepness, we will inject some firefighters from the top,” Silvio said.

Moving further into the day, officials said their focus would be on getting lanes reopened on the 91 Freeway and to have the fire fully contained by Wednesday night, but more importantly, making sure there were no flare ups.

No injuries were reported.

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