A car crash ignited a fire Monday in a remote Inland Empire canyon, and the blaze quickly spread, triggering evacuation warnings.
By about 11:50 p.m., the fire was 10% contained as 5,000 acres burned in the dry hills between Beaumont and San Jacinto, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The blaze, dubbed the Manzanita fire, was reported about 3 p.m. after the accident near Lamb Canyon ignited brush. Two people were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, officials said. By 3:30 p.m., flames had burned 80 acres on both sides of Highway 79, which cuts through the hills and connects Beaumont and Gilman Hot Springs, an area famous for its sprawling Church of Scientology compound.