Crews make progress fighting brush fire near Campo east of San Diego

Firefighters responded Monday to a brush fire that grew to several dozen acres Monday in far east San Diego County.

The fire dubbed the Kitchen Creek Fire started around 10:30 a.m. near Old Hwy 80 and Kitchen Creek Road about 15 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette said.

The blaze had scorched about 47 acres, and the Cleveland National Forest said crews have made 50% containment. They were expected to continue working throughout Monday night.

#KitchenFire update: 47 ares 50% contained crews will be working throughout the night. The fire footprint is in steep rugged terrain, crews will be mopping up and completing containment lines around the perimeter. pic.twitter.com/cIpGDVuU9J

— Cleveland NF (@ClevelandNF) July 2, 2024

The Boulder Oaks Equestrian Campground was evacuated as a precaution, the Cleveland National Forest Service, the lead agency in the response, said.

Eastbound I-8 at the Kitchen Creek off-ramp was also closed due to the fire, which was first reported by U.S. Border Patrol.

The firefight was a multi-team effort and crews from five teams were responding with 6 engines, 1 water tender and several fire-fighting aircraft.

There was no immediate word on a potential cause but there was an elevated fire potential index at the time. temperatures were about 86 degrees with winds in the 12 miles per hours range.

This is a developing story. Details may change as information is released.