Meadowbrook Brush Fire Contained After 183 Acres

A brush fire in Meadowbrook near Lake Elsinore burned 183 acres before firefighters fully contained it on Saturday, April 18. (fire.ca.gov) CAL FIRE says the Vista Fire started at 4:24 p.m. on Friday, April 17, near El Torro Road north of Lake Elsinore in Riverside County. The agency listed the cause as under investigation and said containment reached 100% at 2:30 p.m. the next day. (fire.ca.gov) The fire grew quickly in its first hours. CBS Los Angeles reported that within a little more than an hour, the blaze had reached 141 acres and triggered evacuation orders and warnings for nearby residents. (cbsnews.com) Aircraft and mutual-aid crews helped stop the spread. CBS reported that water-dropping aircraft joined firefighters from Riverside County, Corona Fire Department and Murrieta Fire & Rescue on the line. (cbsnews.com) Deputies also shut nearby dirt roads during the response after people in off-road vehicles interfered with firefighting operations, according to City News Service reporting published by MyNewsLA. (mynewsla.com) By Saturday night, all evacuation orders had been lifted. CBS reported no injuries and no structural damage, while CAL FIRE said crews would keep patrolling for hot spots and reinforcing containment lines. (cbsnews.com) (fire.ca.gov) The Meadowbrook fire was one more reminder of how fast vegetation fires can move along the Highway 74 corridor in southwest Riverside County. That same area saw evacuation orders during the 55-acre Crump Fire in September 2025. (patch.com) For now, the immediate threat has passed. The fire is contained, the evacuation orders are gone, and investigators have not yet said what sparked it. (fire.ca.gov)