The Nixon Fire was a sizable

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that burned in Riverside county in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. It ignited on July 29, 2024, in the census-designated place of Aguanga in Riverside County. , it has burned and is 100 percent contained.

Background

The fire burned 3,500 acres on day one in

Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

with dry atmospheric conditions, a lack of recent burn history, warm temperatures, and strong winds helping the fire expand rapidly. On day two, the fire burned into the Beauty Mountain Wilderness area.

Cause

The fire began in near Tule Valley Road and Richard Nixon Boulevard in Aguanga,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is located south of state highway

California State Route 371 State Route 371 (SR 371) is a state highway in Riverside County, California, serving as a connector from California State Route 79, SR 79 near Aguanga, California, Aguanga to California State Route 74, SR 74 near Anza, California, Anza. The hig ...

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, colloquially known as CAL FIRE, is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various area ...

(Cal Fire) determined the cause was a freestanding, privately-owned electrical panel.

Progression

The fire ignited just before 12:30 PM PDT (it was first reported at 12:28 PM) near Tule Valley Road and Richard Nixon Boulevard. By 03:04 PM, it burned 295 acres. The

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

meteorologist Alex Tardy described the weather conditions "unfavorable" with low humidity and high temperatures. The fire was declared fully contained on August 7th.

Effects

The fire prompted evacuation orders for around 2,000 buildings in Riverside County.

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

county was under evacuation warning. The smoke could be seen from San Diego county. One residential structure was destroyed while four others were damaged. It moved into

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

and Riverside Fire Department set up an evacuation center in

Temecula Valley High School Temecula Valley High School, known by locals as TV, is a public high school for grades 9 to 12 in Temecula, California. The school opened in 1985 as the city's first high school. When it was built, it was a part of the Elsinore Union High Schoo ...

Temecula Temecula (; , ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a tourist and ...

. It was closed as an evacuation center on Friday, August 2, 2024. A care and reception center was opened at

Hamilton High School Hamilton High School may refer to: United States Alabama * Hamilton High School (Alabama) in Hamilton Arizona * Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler Arkansas * Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy California * Hamilton High Sc ...

in Anza,

Growth and containment table

References

External links

Incident map and information , Watch Duty
{{2024 wildfires 2024 California wildfires July 2024 in the United States August 2024 in the United States Wildfires in Riverside County, California