Verona Fire – A wildfire in Riverside County expanded to 2,600 acres, prompting evacuation orders and a partial closure of State Route 60 westbound at Interstate 10, while crews also battled other blazes across the state. An air quality alert tied to wildfire smoke remained
A tower of smoke twisted high above the Verona Fire in Riverside County on Tuesday. May 19—an image California fire officials described as a massive “smokenado. ” also known as a fire whirl or fire devil. The sight came as Southern California’s wildfire danger kept escalating. with authorities reporting the Verona Fire had grown to 2. 600 acres as of Tuesday. June 16.
Evacuation orders were issued, and a major roadway was affected as firefighters worked alongside other blazes in the region. Crews battling the Verona Fire also faced harsh conditions—steep, rocky terrain was cited by Cal Fire as a continuing challenge.
As of Tuesday morning, the Verona Fire was 25% contained. That progress did not remove pressure on local residents: Cal Fire said the fire prompted the closure of State Route 60 westbound at Interstate 10.
Authorities responded to the Shore Fire in Riverside County the day before, after a vegetation fire was reported near Calimesa. The Verona Fire’s timeline and overlapping incidents left crews stretched while they tried to contain multiple fronts at once.
Further east, federal and base officials reported movement on another fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest. The Mateo Fire is burning into the Cleveland National Forest’s Trabuco Ranger District, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Authorities said they responded to the fire at the Quebec training area at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Monday. June 15. where the Forest Service said the fire originated. By Tuesday. the fire was approximately 650 acres and 5% contained. and officials described it as burning along difficult terrain in heavy fuels and dense vegetation.
The Trabuco area covered by the Mateo Fire spans tens of thousands of acres through Orange and Riverside counties, according to the Forest Service. Investigators also said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Mateo Fire came shortly after another blaze at Camp Pendleton called the November Fire, a brush fire that broke out just days earlier.
In Yolo County, the Putah Fire showed a different kind of pace. Cal Fire reported the 860-acre Putah Fire was nearly fully contained as of Monday evening. The agency said the fire began on June 8 as a prescribed brush fire.
For many residents, the danger was not only on the ground. An air quality alert due to particle pollution from wildfire smoke was issued through 5 p.m. Tuesday for a stretch of cities across Southern California.
The alert covered Inland Empire communities including Moreno Valley, Riverside, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, and San Bernardino. It also listed additional cities such as Fontana Idyllwild-Pine Cove. as well as several areas in the Coachella Valley: Indio. Palm Springs. Cathedral City. Palm Desert. La Quinta. and Coachella.
The picture across multiple counties was stark in the numbers and in the knock-on effects: one fire pushed into thousands of acres while forcing road closures and evacuations. another burned slowly through dense vegetation while investigators worked out what sparked it. and a third blaze was closer to containment—yet smoke still carried beyond the flames into daily life for residents under an ongoing alert.
California wildfires Verona Fire smokenado Riverside County evacuation orders State Route 60 closure Mateo Fire Camp Pendleton Putah Fire Yolo County air quality alert wildfire smoke