The Manzanita fire burns in the hills south of Beaumont at dusk Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Flames burn on a hill just off Highway 79 through Lamb Canyon between Beaumont and San Jacinto. The Manzanita fire broke out Monday afternoon, June 26, and closed down the highway. (Photo courtesy of Caltrans)

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An air tanker flies out of a smoke plume put up by the Manzanita fire in the hills south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Thick smoke from the Manzanita fire rises from the hills south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Thick smoke from the Manzanita fire rises from the hills south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



Thick smoke from the Manzanita fire rises from the hills south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017, as a firefighting air tanker flies overhead. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Tanker 911, a DC-10 “very large air tanker,” joins the fight against the Manzanilla fire south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Doug Saunders, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

An air tanker flies overhead during the Manzanita fire south of Beaumont on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Micah Escamilla, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Flames from the Manzanita fire in Lamb Canyon south of Beaumont are seen all the way from Cal Fire’s headquarters in Perris on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department)

A wildland fire was burning in remote terrain south of Beaumont and Banning on Monday night, June 26, prompting an evacuation warning — not a mandatory order — and the closure of a key local commuter link, Highway 79. By 11:45 p.m. it had scorched 5,000 acres.

The fast-growing Manzanita fire blaze was sparked by a vehicle collision in Lamb Canyon and tore through 1,200 acres in its first three hours, spreading east through dry fuel on a windy 100-degree day. By 9:30 p.m., it was 10 percent contained.

The warning covered homes between Highland Home Road south of Beaumont and Highway 243 south of Banning, and included the San Jacinto Mountain communities of Silent Valley and Poppet Flats, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

An evacuation warning is meant to notify residents that there is a threat and encourage them to leave voluntarily — or at least to start getting prepared in case the evacuation becomes mandatory.

Late Monday, many residents across the Inland area received an emergency alert over their cellphones telling them to “evacuate now.” However, that was sent in error, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Capt. Lucas Spelman said.

On Monday night, residents of those communities were seen milling about, appearing unfazed by the blaze as it burned in the distance.

Highway 79, also known as Lamb Canyon Road, had been closed between the 10 Freeway in Beaumont and Gilman Springs Road north of San Jacinto. By 11:45 p.m. southbound lanes had re-opened, and traffic was allowed on one northbound lane.

Related: Manzanita fire’s flames turn Highway 79 commuters around, fray nerves

The closure was expected to last almost until the morning commute, Spelman said. By Monday night the flames near the highway had pretty much been extinguished and the wind was blowing them in the other direction, Spelman said.

Aside from the highway and a county landfill, not much is in the canyon or surrounding foothills except wildlife and vegetation. But there are plenty of homes at the base of the foothills in the San Gorgonio Pass, and several communities higher up in the mountains to the east.

On Monday, Spelman said, the wind was pushing flames in the direction of two of those mountain communities, Poppet Flats and Silent Valley.

Spelman said the key concerns for Tuesday will be the wind — how fast and in which direction.

Overnight, hand crews, backed by bulldozers, were going to try to get more line around the fire to stop it from spreading. Fresh crews were expected Tuesday morning, Spelman said.

The crash that started the fire happened about 3:10 p.m. near the Lamb Canyon Landfill. Two people involved in the crash were hospitalized with unknown injuries, Cal Fire officials said.

Just after the fire broke out, vehicles were reported to be traveling on the wrong way on Highway 79 to get away, a CHP incident log said. Other drivers made U-turns.

From the beginning, the flames were moving at “a critical rate,” Cal Fire said: The size grew to 125 acres by 4 p.m., then doubled within an hour, doubled again 40 minutes later, and more than doubled yet again to 1,200 acres by 6:30 p.m. It remained at that size as of 9:30.

A huge cloud of smoke could be seen for miles. A regional air-quality monitor warned in a smoke advisory that air quality could be unhealthy in parts of the San Gorgonio Pass, San Jacinto Valley, San Jacinto Mountains and Coachella Valley.

Aerial footage from Monday afternoon showed flames racing up hillsides as air tankers, helicopters and bulldozers worked to stop them.

A weather station in the area showed the temperature shortly after the fire broke out was 100 degrees, relative humidity was 7 percent and winds from the west-northwest were gusting over 35 mph — the combination of high heat, low humidity and strong winds that causes fire officials to worry.

Some 360 firefighters from agencies across the region were battling the flames; resources included 28 engine companies, 15 fire crews, eight air tankers — including a massive DC-10 — three helicopters and air attack.

#ManzanitaFire at more than 1200 acres near Beaumont, CA. white speck against hill is firefighting plane @CALFIRERRU pic.twitter.com/rRbIVoxQ4M — Pat Murkland (@Murkland) June 27, 2017

The smoke has thickened, and spread. Here is hoping they can put this out before the sun sets.#abc7eyewitness #LambsCanyon #ManzanitaFire pic.twitter.com/PljjPzB805 — The Cali Nerd (@TheCaliNerd) June 27, 2017

RIVCO: NB/SB SR-79 closed from I-10 to Gilman Springs Road due to brush fire. Unknown duration. #Caltrans8 pic.twitter.com/jNG1Tt8bUM — Caltrans District 8 (@Caltrans8) June 26, 2017