Blaze in Badlands southwest of Calimesa burns over 2,000 acres, SR 60 westbound reopened

Update 06/16/26

According to Cal Fire, the shore fire has burned at least 2,600 acres and is at 25% containment as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Cal Fire says State Route 60 westbound has reopened at the Interstate 10 interchange after closing over-night. Officials say motorists should expect delays and remain alert for firefighters, law enforcement personnel, and heavy equipment operating in the area. Cal Fire says Traffic conditions and roadway access remain subject to change based on fire activity and operational needs.

Officials say residents and motorists may continue to see smoke and occasional flare-ups within the area. This activity is the result of interior hotspots and pockets of unburned vegetation continuing to smolder
within the established fire perimeter.

Firefighters are actively monitoring and addressing these areas. Residents in and around the area are advised to use caution, as emergency personnel and equipment remain in the area conducting suppression and containment operations.

Original Report 06/15/26

CALIMESA, Calif. (KESQ) - A fast-moving brush fire that broke out Monday in the Badlands southwest of Calimesa burned 1,500 acres with zero containment, prompting an evacuation order and nine evacuation warnings.

The non-injury Shore Fire blaze was reported at 3:23 p.m. Monday in a sparsely populated area near Lake Shore Drive and San Timoteo Canyon Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Hemet Fire Department, Palm Springs Fire Department and Cal Fire-San Bernardino County were sent to the location, which is on the north side of the rugged expanse between Interstate 10 to the north and the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway to the south.   

The westbound 60/10 interchange was shut down due to the fire on Monday night but has since re-opened.

Flames were moving at a moderate to rapid rate northward amid gusty afternoon winds, which were expected to abate around nightfall, enabling crews to begin encircling the fire, according to reports from the scene.   

An evacuation order was issued at 6:15 p.m. for the area with scattered residential and commercial properties on the perimeter of the fire bordered by San Timoteo Canyon Road and the Moreno Valley Freeway due to the immediate threat to life, the Riverside County Fire Department announced. Portions of Beaumont were under the evacuation warning zone.

An evacuation center was established for people and pets at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley. Large animal intakes were also available at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus in San Jacinto.

Two Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and five air tankers had begun runs on the fire by 4:20 p.m. The agency's contract "Very Large Air Tanker,'' or VLAT, usually a DC-10 or Boeing 767 capable of carrying over 8,000 gallons of water, was requested Monday afternoon.

The terrain is difficult to negotiate on foot.   

San Timoteo Canyon Road, between Redlands Boulevard and Lake Shore, was ordered closed.  

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.