Update: Verona Fire in Riverside County - 5% containment reached

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Updated: 9:40 a.m. May 20

First discovered: 21 hours ago, 12:20 p.m. May 19

Initial location: Verona Road and Juniper Springs Road, unincorporated Green Acres and Homeland area, Riverside County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Verona Fire

Verona Fire initially started 12:20 p.m. May 19 at Verona Road and Juniper Springs Road, unincorporated Green Acres and Homeland area in Riverside County, California.

It has burned 500 acres after being active for 21 hours. As of Wednesday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 5% of the wildfire. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

The firefighting efforts involve 44 engines, 10 water tenders, two helicopters, two dozers and four hand crews. According to Cal Fire, "Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow."

Evacuation information from Cal Fire

Evacuation Orders

Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access.

Evacuation Orders have been issued for the following zones:

HMT-1287

HMT-1288

RVC-1187-B

RVC-1285

RVC-1286

Evacuation Warnings

Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.

Evacuation Warnings have been issued for the following zones:

HMT-1289

HMT-1290

HMT-1291-B

RVC-1185

RVC-1186

RVC-1187-A

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-Elsinore2

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 5% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 5% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 95% is still uncontrolled.

Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. It is normally expressed as a percentage and it refers to how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded/enclosed by a control line that firefighters create. The containment percentage indicates a certain level of control, but it doesn't always correlate to safety level. Also, it's important to note that containment doesn't mean a fire is out.

How is containment measured?

The incident's central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground. As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage. The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.

Source: Cal Fire

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 12:54 PM.