A 994-acre brush fire burned Wednesday evening in the grassy slopes of the La Cresta community and later spread toward Murrieta. Some evacuations were ordered in both communities, even as no structures had burned, authorities said.

#TenajaFire Mandatory evacuations are now being issued to residents in Copper Canyon South of Calle del Oso Oro between Clinton Keith and Murrieta Creek.

at Calle del Oso Oro@CALFIRERRU pic.twitter.com/Bkuv8QuQwS — Murrieta Fire & Rescue (@MurrietaFire) September 5, 2019

Mandatory evacuations have started on Single Oak Way in #murrieta as a result of the #tenajafire pic.twitter.com/QakH4DIGKQ — Will Lester (@WillLesterPhoto) September 5, 2019

Evacuation orders were issued to Murrieta residents in Copper Canyon south of Calle del Oso Oro between Clinton Keith Road and Murrieta Creek Drive.

A map of the evacuation areas can be seen here.

Please see this map of the Copper Canyon area for those in the evacuation zones. The yellow highlighted area is the mandatory evacuation area referenced on this map. pic.twitter.com/tmgXRm7SGA — Murrieta Fire & Rescue (@MurrietaFire) September 5, 2019

As the fire grew, no injuries were reported, though health officials urged residents in portions of southwest Riverside County to limit outdoor activities because of smoke and ash generated by the fire.

Fire officials were optimistic, despite the evacuations.

“Right now, we’re looking pretty good,” said Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Capt. Fernando Herrera. “We do have fire creeping down, but nothing has escaped or threatened any structures.”

Cal Fire/Riverside County said that besides the Murrieta evacuations, there was also a mandatory evacuation order for all residences along The Trails Circle, in La Cresta. The order affected about 20 homes, officials said. The Santa Rosa Plateau Visitor Center at 39400 Clinton Keith Road was also ordered evacuated, affecting employees there. The visitor center is part of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, which is part of the Riverside County regional park system.

Officials also announced Murrieta schools would be closed Thursday.

According to @MurrietaUSD, all MVUSD schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, September 5, 2019 due to the #TenajaFIRE — Murrieta Police Dept (@MurrietaPD) September 5, 2019

Fire officials were busy and planning for overnight operations.

“This is a major fire for us,” Herrera said, noting firefighters had to deal with “erratic wind that was phenomenal.”

“We’re looking at an extended response that could go into several days,” Herrera said.

Besides fighting the main fire, crews were shoring up defenses for mostly single-family homes and shopping centers in the Copper Canyon and Bear Creek areas between La Cresta and Murrieta, he said.

The Tenaja fire was 5 percent contained as of 7:45 p.m. as Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews fought it with the assistance of Murrieta Fire & Rescue, Cal Fire/San Diego and the Orange County Fire Authority.

Cal Fire/Riverside said 44 engine crews and other crews, numbering some 500 personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames in heavy vegetation, spreading to the north. Six Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters made runs on the blaze, but pulled out by 8 p.m. due to poor visibility.

The Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests as well as the Bureau of Land Management were sending crews and equipment as well.

.@ClevelandNF is assisting @CALFIRERRU on the #TenajaFire with 2 chief officers and 7 fire engines. The fire is not currently a threat to the forest. — Cleveland NF (@ClevelandNF) September 5, 2019

A strike team made up of engines from San Bernardino National Forest and @BLMca has been mobilized for this incident. https://t.co/N8v1ACyzT0 — San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) September 5, 2019

In Murrieta, some residents could see the smoke and flames.

“The plume of smoke could be seen and the smoke could be smelled all across town,” said Murrieta resident Edwin Parker. He said his home is located near the Los Alamos Hills Sports Park & Rail Ranch Elementary School, miles away from the fire burning in La Cresta, He said he cares for his elderly disabled mother, and they were thankful evacuation orders had not spread to his neighborhood.

The blaze grew from 25 acres as of 4:30 p.m. to 250 acres by 7:45 p.m. and 994 acres by 8:50 p.m., and the smoke was seen as far away as Orange and San Diego counties. Lake Elsinore High School postponed Back to School Night because of poor air quality.

There is a vegetation fire burning in the La Cresta area of Riverside County off of the I-15. The smoke is visible from Orange County; however, there is no current threat to Yorba Linda and the Orange County area. https://t.co/CtQlNDY7C8 — City of Yorba Linda (@YorbaLindaCity) September 5, 2019

Help for evacuated residents was available in Murrieta at Murrieta Mesa High School, where a care and reception center was set up, officials said.

A Care and Reception Center has been established at Murrieta Mesa High School located at 24801 Monroe Ave., Murrieta, CA. 92562. For more information, please contact the fire information line at 951-940-6985. #TenajaFire — RivCoReady (@RivCoReady) September 5, 2019

Small animals were accepted there, while accommodations for larger animals were available at the San Jacinto Animal Shelter.

The fire started near the intersection of Tenaja Road and Clinton Keith Road and was first reported at 3:56 p.m., said Rob Roseen, spokesman for Cal Fire. He said the fire was burning in area with heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread. Temperatures in the area topped out at 101 degrees on Wednesday before falling to the 80s in the evening, National Weather Service data showed.

Stretches of Tenaja Road and Clinton Keith road were closed because of the fire.

Firefighters were dealing with capricious wind speeds, blowing east at about 20 mph, Roseen said shortly after the fire started.

Firefighters speak with a man as he evacuates a home on Single Oak Way in Murrieta as the Tenaja Fire burns down a ridge towards homes Wednesday night Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Residents watch as the Tenaja Fire burns behind homes near the corner of Silverwood and Cooperwood Streets in Murrieta Wednesday night Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

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Lori Maag loads items into her vehicle on Single Oak Way as the Tenaja Fire burns down a ridge towards homes in Murrieta Wednesday night Sept. 4, 2019. Maag was helping her nephew evacuate out of the area. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

A Murrieta Police Department vehicle drives across Single Oak Way in Murrieta as officers issue a mandatory evacuation order as the Tenaja Fire burns down a ridge towards homes Wednesday night Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Lisa Hampson (right) receives a hug from her mother Kimberly Maag as Hampson evacuates her home on Single Oak Way as the Tenaja Fire burns down a ridge towards homes in Murrieta Wednesday night Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)



Residents and onlookers watch as the Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon at the top of Vineyard Parkway in Murrieta Wednesday evening Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Smoke from a brush fire burning in the La Cresta area near Murrieta fills the sky on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Foulk, Contributing Photographer)

Smoke from a brush fire burning in the La Cresta area near Murrieta fills the sky on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Foulk, Contributing Photographer)

Flames burn a brushy area west of the I-15 freeway in Murrieta near the community of La Cresta Wednesday September 4, 2019

Flames burn a brushy area west of the I-15 freeway in Murrieta near the community of La Cresta Wednesday September 4, 2019 Andrew Foulk Contributing Photographer



Flames burn a brushy area west of the I-15 freeway in Murrieta near the community of La Cresta Wednesday September 4, 2019 Andrew Foulk Contributing Photographer

A Murrieta Fire Department engine pulls down Sherry Lane as the Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon in the Murrieta area on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon behind homes on Sherry Lane in Murrieta Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

A Murrieta Fire Department engine pulls down Sherry Lane as the Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon in the Murrieta area Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon behind homes on Sherry Lane in Murrieta Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)



Residents on Sherry Lane watch as the Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon behind their homes on Sherry Lane in Murrieta Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The Tenaja Fire burns in and above Cole Canyon behind homes on Sherry Lane in the Murrieta area Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

“Firefighters are battling a change of direction in the wind, so that presented a challenge,” Roseen said shortly after the fire started.

Herrera said officials haven’t begun the process of determining the cause of the fire, but there had been reports of downed power lines in the area. A storm cell had also passed over the region earlier that may have brought lightning down in the hills that burned Wednesday evening.

City News Service contributed to this story.