MECCA (CNS) - Mecca Elementary School was voluntarily evacuated Wednesday due to smoke in the area as firefighters battled a vegetation fire of at least 15 acres that caused a power outage affecting about 200 structures.
Fire crews responded around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday near Lincoln Street and 64th Avenue to a report of a vegetation fire, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
"Firefighters are currently on scene of a vegetation fire burning thick in vegetation," fire officials said in a statement at 9:53 a.m. "The fire is currently 3 acres and burning with a moderate rate of speed."
The fire grew to six acres shortly after 10 a.m. and to 15 acres with no containment by 11:20 a.m.
The Imperial Irrigation District alerted the public at 10:48 a.m. that an outage had affected 198 of its customers from Lincoln Street to Fourth Avenue. Power was restored to all but one customer within an hour. Crews continued to work to restore power to the remaining customer.
Power lines were de-energized in the area, and the Riverside County Emergency Management Department was working to establish a cooling center for residents affected by the outage.
No evacuation orders were issued, though the school, located a little less than a mile from the fire, had students leave anyway due to the smoke.
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