The view to the northwest from Bell Mountain shows heavy smoke from the fire just before sunset in Menifee. (Staff photo)
Heavy smoke from a major fire at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County blanketed Menifee and most parts of southwest Riverside County on Monday.
The Pipeline Fire was approaching 1,000 acres at 7:30 p.m., and evacuation orders were given for two surrounding areas. Two night-flying helicopters and one night-flying helicopter coordinator had been requested to help fight the fire, which began as a 5-acre fire in light vegetation at about 2:12 p.m. Fire retardant has been dropped around many areas of the fire.
Menifee is under an Air Quality Alert issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) due to elevated fine particle pollution from wildfires in the region, The Weather Channel reported.
The Pipeline Fire as seen from the south. (Photo by Alert California / UC San Diego)
