Blaze on east end of Cahuilla Indian Reservation blackens seven acres

ANZA, Calif. (KESQ) - A brush fire that erupted today south of Highway 371 inAnza scorched seven acres before it was stopped.   

The non-injury blaze was reported at 1:57 p.m. Thursday in the area of Coyote Canyon and Terwilliger roads, on the east end of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.   

Multiple engines and hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a slow rate through heavy brush amid light winds, firefighters said.

Three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter reached the fire at 2:15 p.m. and performed runs across the head and heel of the blaze. That slowed its advance and enabled firefighters to establish hose lays.   

There were early concerns that a series of afternoon thunderstorm cells that developed just east of the fire might impact operations. But those drifted south into San Diego County.

At 3:10 p.m., the fire's forward rate of spread was stopped. The fire was completely contained an hour later, according to officials.   

No structures were damaged.   

The area has been ground zero for a cluster of large and small wildfires every summer over the last three or four years  

The cause of Thursday's blaze was under investigation.