Fire crews in the Inland Empire battling 2 brush fires

Firefighters rushed to battle a pair of wildfires that erupted Thursday afternoon in the Inland Empire.  

Preliminary reports put the Gibbel Fire in Riverside County, which could be seen from AlertCalifornia’s Idyllwild camera, at three to four acres as it burned uphill in medium fuels at a moderate speed, though in an update, officials at Cal Fire said the wildfire had spread to 15 acres by 5:30 p.m. and posed a threat to some nearby structures.

Crews first responded to flames near State Street and Gibbel Road at around 4:40 p.m., with heavy plumes of smoke seen billowing from the hillsides near Hemet.

Cal Fire crews at the scene reportedly requested an additional five engines to assist in the firefight.  

Video posted to social media showed firefighting aircraft dropping fire retardant as the blaze climbed the hillsides. Crews fighting the fire from the air were reportedly released at around 5:45 p.m.

Approximately 25 miles northwest in Moreno Valley, firefighters had stopped forward progress on the 5-acre Reche Fire, Watch Duty, a wildfire tracking website, reported.  

Flames were burning at a moderate rate of spread in “light, flashy fuels,” prompting requests for law enforcement to shut down Reche Canyon Road at Locust Avenue.  

These developing stories will be updated as additional information becomes available.