Firefighters save vehicles from flames east of 215 Freeway

Blackened planks are all that remained of a parking lot fence after a brush fire alongside the 215 Freeway came within feet of vehicles Monday afternoon. Menifee 24/7 photos: Doug Spoon

Quick work by firefighters saved a row of vehicles parked within a few feet of a brush fire that broke out alongside the northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway south of McCall Boulevard in Menifee Monday afternoon.

All northbound lanes of the freeway were shut down as smoke limited visibility while firefighters knocked down the blaze, which was reported at 4:16 p.m. Motorists reported traffic backing up to Murrieta Hot Springs Road until lanes were reopened about 6 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. The fire covered about 2.6 acres, fire officials said.

No one was injured and no major structures or vehicles were damaged, although the flames moved about 500 feet from the east shoulder of the freeway to the back border of the Villagio Apartments complex, located at 28377 Encanto Road. The fire burned part of a wood fence just a few feet from several cars belonging to apartment residents.

Photo shows the distance between the parking lot fence and the 215 Freeway. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

"We smelled the fire and looked out the window and the sky looked crazy," said Ashley Magdaleno, who lives at the apartment complex. "Then there was a huge bang on our door and one of neighbors said, 'You need to move your car.' We went out and saw flames high in the air and we couldn't see anything else at all. It looked like our car was surrounded by flames and we thought, 'Can we even get in to move it?' "

By that time, the first of eight fire engines had arrived and began attacking the flames. Residents were able to move most of the cars parked in front of the fence while firefighters hosed down the area and contained the eastern edge of the fire to a portion of the fence. The only damage visible to any of the vehicles was a melted plastic tail light on the vehicle of a car that was backed up against the fence and not moved.

"They were able to control the fire while we moved our cars," Magdaleno said about the first crew on the scene. "It could've been a lot worse. I thought my car was done. Some people left. They took the dogs and everything and left. We didn't know, because you couldn't see anything. But the firefighters were right on it."

The cause of the fire is not known. The CHP incident log, updated throughout the incident, stated the following at 4:18:

"There was a jeep that was about 50 yards in front of the fire. Male driver hurried into his vehicle. Unknown if still parked on shoulder."

No other information about a possible cause for the fire was reported by late Monday night.

Flames were seen at the side of the freeway in the first moments of the fire. Photo by Mike Roberts