Fire in MoVal Park near Schools Quickly Stopped

A fire that broke out Friday in a Moreno Valley park situated between two grade school campuses scorched roughly an acre before it was stopped.

The non-injury "Westbluff Fire" was reported at 3:55 p.m. in Westbluff Park, near the intersection of Pigeon Pass Road and Old Lake Drive, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency said multiple engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a slow rate to the east, in the direction of a building in the park.

The Santa Ana winds that whipped the region Wednesday and Thursday were not a factor Friday.

Vista Heights Middle School abuts the park to the north, and the campus of Canyon Springs High School is just south of the preserve. However, classes had let out earlier in the afternoon, and no evacuation orders were necessary.

The fire's forward rate of spread was stopped at 4:25 p.m., and the blaze was almost fully contained 10 minutes later.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.