Banning brush fire burns 25 acres after vehicle plunges off cliff

A brush fire, known as the Panorama Fire, burned between 20 and 25 acres in the hills south of Banning near Mount Edna Road and Highway 243 on Monday. The blaze was ignited after a vehicle went off a cliff and caught fire around 11:53 a.m.

Emergency responders, including the Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire, deployed multiple engine crews, hand crews, four air tankers, and two helicopters to combat the flames. While the fire initially exhibited a critical rate of spread, the forward progress was eventually stopped. No homes or structures were damaged, and no evacuation orders were issued.

Highway 243 was subject to a hard closure by the Banning Police Department, Caltrans, and the California Highway Patrol to accommodate emergency vehicles and ensure public safety. This closure resulted in a SigAlert, with motorists advised to use Highways 74 and 79 to access mountain communities like Idyllwild and Pine Cove. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.