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1,000-acre Bogart fire in Riverside County was caused by ‘juvenile activity’ near public park, officials say

A fast-moving vegetation fire north of Beaumont spread to 700 acres Tuesday afternoon, displacing hundreds of residents from rural communities in Riverside County, authorities said. OnScene.TV  

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A fast-moving vegetation fire north of Beaumont spread to 1,000 acres Tuesday afternoon, briefly displacing hundreds of residents from rural communities in Riverside County, although evacuation orders were lifted later in the day, authorities said.

The Bogart fire was reported at 12:25 p.m. near Winesap Avenue and International Park Road in Cherry Valley, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire was caused by “juvenile activity” near Bogart Park in Beaumont.

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The blaze spread in bone-dry vegetation in the hills west of the Morongo Reservation and destroyed at least one building, fire officials said.

The fire was 10% contained as of 10:25 p.m.

About 700 residents from approximately 200 homes were initially evacuated, including the Highland Springs Village mobile home park and Banning Bench, a rural plateau northwest of Banning, fire officials said. But authorities lifted evacuation orders for Banning Bench and the mobile home park by 8 p.m., according to CalFire.

More than 400 firefighters have been assigned to combat the blaze. They are being assisted by five helicopters, four bulldozers and nine air tankers.

One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening injury and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Cherry Valley, where the blaze ignited, is located off the 10 Freeway and has a population of more than 6,300, census records show.

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This story will be updated.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

shane.newell@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

11:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the size and cause of the fire.

8:25 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage and containment numbers.

5:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the growth of the fire.

This article was originally published at 4:20 p.m.

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