RIVERSIDE - Multiple Riverside County government websites were knocked offline today -- and at least one public safety site remained partially out of service -- because of an equipment failure.

The trouble began this morning when a "hardware problem" impacted a number of web pages that provide information about county services and functions, including the county's main page -- http://www.countyofriverside.us/ -- county spokesman Ray Smith said.

"They've been working on it throughout the day," he said late this afternoon. "They've resolved a Advertisement

[ Carrington Home Loans ] large part of it, but they're continuing to work on the problem."

As of 4 p.m., the Riverside County Fire Department page was displaying data on incidents from August 2012. Smith did not know when the site would be back in proper working order. Fire spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson referred inquiries to the county's Department of Information Technology.

That agency is in the process of trying to consolidate 30 separate IT units in county government.

Smith said today's disruption had nothing to do with consolidation.