A brush fire raced uphill through thick vegetation and forced the complete closing of the narrow, winding commuter road between Orange andRiverside Counties.

The fire was reported at noon near Hot Spring Canyon and Siever Canyon roads.

The San Juan Fire had grown to 10 to 15 acres by 12:45 pm, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Nathan Judy of the Cleveland National Forest said that the forward advance of the fire was stopped.

The only way through the Santa Ana mountains for thousands of daily commuters was closed in both directions to accommodate fire crews. It was not clear how long it would be shut down. If firefighters and equipment were still present, Judy urged commuters to drive slowly through the area.

The fire spread quickly so assets were dispatched to the scene.

A 200 pound male was being sought for starting fires in the immediate area. The report was not commented on by the forest service personnel. The fire was not close to the prescribed burns that were planned for this morning.

The early March fire, along with a second one, just goes to show fire season really is year round in southern California now, even if there is rain and snow in the area.

There was a fire in the Cleveland National Forest.

The Cleveland National Forest is near the site of a wildfire that broke out Wednesday morning.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Jim Fire was 15% contained as of Thursday morning. It started in the Holy Jim Canyon area.

Marine engineers from Camp Pendleton were in the area using explosives to destroy old dams as part of a long-running project to restore creek habitat for trout.

The Jim Fire burned in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Area residents said U.S. Marines were in the area using explosives at the request of U.S. Forest Service officials to destroy small stone dams.
The Jim Fire burned in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Area residents said U.S. Marines were in the area using explosives at the request of U.S. Forest Service officials to destroy small stone dams.

A large cloud of smoke and ash was visible in four counties.

The fire is still under investigation, but there was a crew working in the area yesterday.

This report was contributed to by City News Service.

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Janet Wilson is a senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at either jwilson@gannett.com or janetwilson66 on social media.

The article was originally published on the Palm Springs Desert Sun.

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