A vegetation fire in Mecca on Wednesday resulted in a temporary power outage affecting approximately 200 buildings in the area of Lincoln Street and Avenue 64 after nearby powerlines were de-energized, Cal Fire officials reported in an incident update. The fire began with three acres at approximately 9 a.m. and spread as the day progressed, according to Cal Fire on Twitter.
"The fire is currently 15 acres and 0% contained. Powerlines in the area have been de-energized, and a power outage is affecting approximately 200 structures," Cal Fire officials said in an update at 11:20 a.m.
A cooling area was established for residents without power at Mecca Community Center on Coahuila Street, with additional centers available through the Community Action Partnership of Riverside County.
Bill Weiser, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Chief
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But the outage itself was to be of short duration. In a subsequent report at 11:45 a.m., fire officials said power had been "restored for residents in the affected area," but the fire was still "holding at 15 acres," according to a KESQ report. The outage was reported to have impacted several residents for approximately one hour.
In addition to the temporary power outage, the vegetation fire also resulted in the voluntary evacuation of nearby Mecca Elementary School on Coahuilla Street. The school made the decision to evacuate its students due to the heavy smoke in the area, according to Cal Fire officials. But no official evacuations had been issued at the time of the department's latest update at 11:45 a.m., according to a mid-morning Twitter update.
Firefighters at the scene, as reported by KESQ, said they were able to achieve a containment of approximately 20% and successfully halt the active growth of the blaze at 12:50 p.m. Later, at 8 p.m., the fire had been mapped at 39 acres and was reported to be 60% contained. The report noted that thick vegetation helped to fuel the fire.