Wildfire, Riverside
- When
- October 21, 4:11 PM PST to October 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Riverside County, 2 mi E of High Grove
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in California, October 21 to 24, 2003
Named the Pass Fire, this fire was started by an arsonist. It burned 2387 acres and destroyed 5 houses, 1 barn, 21 out buildings, and several vehicles.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
Named the Pass Fire, this fire was started by an arsonist. It burned 2387 acres and destroyed 5 houses, 1 barn, 21 out buildings, and several vehicles. An additional 3 houses were damaged before the fire was fully controlled. Atmospheric conditions were favorable for rapid fire growth both preceding and during it's life cycle. Maximum temperatures ranged between 95 and 105 degrees. Relative humidities ranged between 5 and 10 percent during the day, and 25 to 30 percent during the night. Wind direction was east to southeast during the night and mornings, shifting to west and northwest during the afternoon hours. Fire fighting costs were estimated at $3 million.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in California in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 2003
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5335893.