15 Freeway Impacted By Fire

UPDATE: A fire that broke out at a Lake Elsinore residence today damaged part of the structure and spread to a nearby freeway, igniting vegetation in the center median and prompting a lane closure.

The non-injury blaze broke out for unknown reasons about 1 p.m. at 18095 Dexter Ave., near 11th Street, according to Riverside County sheriff's officials.

Patrol deputies were the first to arrive at the location and said residents of surrounding homes were attempting to extinguish the flames with garden hoses, to no avail.

Seven county fire engine crews and an inmate hand crew, numbering 37 personnel, quickly surrounded the blaze, which expanded to three-quarters of an acre and reached the northbound lanes of Interstate 15 before it was fully contained, according to the fire department.

Deputies at the scene reported flames in the freeway center median, and one lane of traffic was shut down until the spot fire was knocked down.

According to a fire department spokeswoman, a boat parked outside the residence was destroyed, as was a detached part of the structure, but no one was displaced by the blaze.

ORIGINAL POST: According to the CHP, is affecting traffic on the northbound 15 Freeway.

A vegetation fire in Lake Elsinore that claimed a structure and a boat has been contained, but officials are still mopping up.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Deparment officials advised the blaze was reported at 1 p.m. Wednesday and was contained at .75 acres within approximately 35 minutes.

One structure and one boat were lost in the fire that was reported just south of Nichols Road near the 15 Freeway; no injuries were reported.

As of 2:27 p.m., CHP is reporting a freeway lane was blocked temporarily and traffic is slow. Cal Fire has moved its equipment off the freeway.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.