This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m.
Investigators say lightning started a fast moving fire in the hills above Anza that continues to burn mostly unchecked this afternoon.
The latest update from CalFIRE says the Buck Fire near Sage, between Anza and Temecula, has blackened 3,000 acres, injured three people and destroyed four structures, including a house that collapsed while engulfed in flames.
The fire, which was reported around 1 p.m. Tuesday in the vicinity of
Sage and Lewis Valley roads, was just 15 percent contained as of 12:00 noon.
Fire officials have ordered the evacuation of 47 homes, said Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.
One civilian suffered serious burns and was airlifted to a hospital, another civilian suffered minor injures and three firefighters have been hospitalized after sustaining minor injuries said Hagemann.
Fifty engine crews, eight water tender crews and six hand crews -- numbering over 400 people -- were working to contain the wildfire with the help of 11 air tankers, seven water-dropping helicopters and four bulldozers. Planes
could be seen dropping red retardant on the fire throughout the day.
Crews from the Los Angeles County and Orange County fire departments as
well as from the U.S. Forest Service were assisting in the fight against the
Buck Fire.
Officials Tuesday ordered 47 homes evacuated, and the occupants of 32
complied, Hagemann said. An evacuation center, staffed by American Red Cross
representatives, was set up at 30875 Rancho Vista Road in Temecula.
The Ramona Animal Shelter at 690 Humane Way in San Jacinto was being
used as an evacuation depot for dogs, cats and other small pets. Larger
animals, including horses, were being accepted at Helton Hay and Feed at 26852
Bradley Road in Menifee.
Though officials didn't immediately confirm the types of structures
burned, broadcast images clearly showed a house collapsing, fully engulfed in
flames.
For more from the scene of the fire, visit Temecula Patch
