WILDOMAR – A fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in the brushy hills east of rural Wildomar, quickly scorching about six acres.

The blaze on Barker Lane, near Keller Road in the hills behind Grear Ranch, was reported at 12:53 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Motorists on the Temecula Valley (15) Freeway could see smoke on the east side of a ridge just east of the highway, the CHP reported.

Fire officials gauged the potential size of the blaze at about 500 acres, said Riverside County fire information officer Jody Hagemann.