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Firefighters Combat Growing Blaze in Riverside County

Firefighters are currently engaged in efforts to control the swiftly spreading Verona Fire, located near the intersection of Verona Road and Juniper Springs Road within the Homeland community close to Hemet. The CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department reported that the fire was first detected around 12:20 p.m. on May 19, near Juniper Springs Road and Verona Lane in Riverside County's Green Acres area. Initially, the fire was estimated to cover approximately five acres and was spreading at a moderate to dangerous pace, leading to requests for additional ground and aerial support.

According to an update from Watch Duty at 12:54 p.m., the fire was initially estimated at two acres. However, due to the imminent threat to nearby structures, Incident Command requested an additional 10 fire engines, along with two air tankers and a helicopter. By 1:34 p.m., CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department confirmed that the Verona Fire had escalated to 125 acres. Consequently, evacuation orders and warnings were issued for several adjacent zones as firefighting crews continued their containment efforts. Currently, evacuation orders are in effect for zones RVC-1185, RVC-1186, RVC-1285, and RVC-1187, while evacuation warnings have been issued for zones RVC-1076, RVC-1077, HMT-1188, HMT-1189, and HMT-1292.