Qualla: Tenaja Fire https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:03 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Tenaja Fire https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire Tenaja Fire: Introduction https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire/ Photo credit CAL FIRE/RCOFD, Public domain. When the Murrieta Valley Unified School District announced it would close all schools on Thursday and Friday, families faced a question that has become grimly familiar in Southern California: where do you go to breathe? The Tenaja Fire had erupted on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, along Tenaja Road and Clinton Keith Road in the rural community of La Cresta, southwest of Murrieta. Within two days, the blaze had ballooned across the landscape, forcing the evacuation of over 1,200 people and filling the skies with smoke dense enough to close the Romoland and Lake Elsinore school districts as well. More than 500 firefighters converged on Riverside County as the fire burned northeast toward Murrieta.

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Image: CAL FIRE/RCOFD | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/9muw-tenaja-fire-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Tenaja Fire: Power Lines in the Wind https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire/ Photo credit CAL FIRE/RCOFD, Public domain. The cause of the Tenaja Fire was determined to be power line conductor slap. Southern California Edison conductors arced when they swung and touched in the wind, ejecting hot material that ignited vegetation below. The rural terrain around La Cresta, 80 miles from Los Angeles, pr...

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Image: CAL FIRE/RCOFD | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/9muw-tenaja-fire-power-lines-in-the-wind.mp3 0:06 2 full Tenaja Fire: Smoke Across Three Districts https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire/ Photo credit CAL FIRE/RCOFD, Public domain. The immediate danger from flames threatened homes, but the broader impact came from what the fire put into the air. Poor air quality forced the closure of multiple school districts in the Murrieta, Perris, and Lake Elsinore areas. Murrieta Valley Unified shut down Thursday, Septe...

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Image: CAL FIRE/RCOFD | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/9muw-tenaja-fire-smoke-across-three-districts.mp3 0:06 3 full Tenaja Fire: Five Hundred Against the Flames https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire/ Photo credit CAL FIRE/RCOFD, Public domain. By Thursday, more than 500 firefighters were actively engaging the fire as it burned to the northeast, toward Murrieta. Cal Fire reported the blaze at 10 percent containment on the day after ignition. By 2:30 PM that afternoon, fire activity had subsided considerably. At 8 PM Fri...

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Image: CAL FIRE/RCOFD | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/9muw-tenaja-fire-five-hundred-against-the-flames.mp3 0:06 4 full Tenaja Fire: Ten Days to Containment https://qualla.com/tenaja-fire/ Photo credit CAL FIRE/RCOFD, Public domain. The Tenaja Fire burned for ten days before Cal Fire could announce complete containment. The final tally: over 1,200 people evacuated, two structures with minor damage, one firefighter with minor injuries, and three school districts closed for multiple days. The Santa Rosa Platea...

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Image: CAL FIRE/RCOFD | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/m/u/w/tenaja-fire-wp/9muw-tenaja-fire-ten-days-to-containment.mp3 0:06 5 full