Falls fire grows to 1,500 acres, remains a threat to homes

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The air assault continued Tuesday morning to contain the 1,500-acre Falls fire near Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters mop up hot spots along South Main Divide in Cleveland National Forest. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Lance Thibault climbs up a steep ridge to reach South Main Divide in Cleveland National Forest as firefighters continue to battle the 1,500-acre Falls fire near Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters drive their trucks next to a dangerous wall of flame while battling the Falls fire on Highway 74 just above Lake Elsinore on the Ortega Highway. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection drive toward a dangerous wall of flame while battling the fire. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A water-dropping helicopter flies through thick smoke and active flame. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A freelance photographer points to active flame as a hillside burns. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Samantha Wethington of Lake Elsinore evacuates pets and removes belongings as the fire burns near her home. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The Ortega Highway was closed after the fire jumped the road. Dozens of homes were ordered evacuated. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Residents Katera Hutchins, left, and mother Janna Lucas watch as flames approach their Lake Elsinore-area neighborhood as the fire grew. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Lee Reeder of Riverside stops to photograph the fire. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The fire sends dramatic plumes of smoke and flame into the sky. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A fixed-wing aircraft drops fire retardant on the fast-moving brush fire as it crests a ridge. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Ari Bloomekatz and Paloma Esquivel

Aug. 5, 2013 10:04 PM PT

A brush fire burning in the Lake Elsinore area has grown to 1,500 acres and remains a threat to homes and buildings in and around the Cleveland National Forest, authorities said.

As of late Monday, mandatory evacuations were in effect for Lakeland Village, Decker Canyon and Rancho Capistrano residents, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s incident information report.

More than 250 fire personnel are on the scene. An evacuation center was set up at Lakeside High School in Lake Elsinore.

The so-called Falls fire started midmorning Monday.

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Twitter: @PalomaEsquivel

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