Brush fire in Fallbrook threatens homes, forces evacuations

A fast-moving brush fire that sparked Friday afternoon in Fallbrook was forcing evacuations and threatening homes, officials said.

The so-called Garden Fire broke out in the 3800 block of Lake Garden Drive at around 1:30 p.m. and has burned 47 acres so far, according to Cal Fire San Diego.

"We had a dangerous rate of spread, so that fire was moving very quickly with dry brush and the wind pushing it," Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette told NBC 7.

As of 4 p.m., fire officials said the fire was 10% contained and that the forward rate of spread had been stopped.

#GardenFire updated acreage is 47 acres 10% contained.

— North County Fire Protection District (@NorthCountyFire) November 9, 2024

Evacuations were ordered north of state Route 76, east of Grid Road, and almost all the way over to Interstate 15. Cornette said about 40 homes were evacuated as of 4:15 p.m.

Some areas north of the flames were placed under an evacuation warning.

A temporary evacuation point was set up at Riverview Church at 4980 Sweetgrass Lane.

Evacuation updates are available via AlertSanDiego.

Road closures are in place at Gird Road and Reche Road; Wilt Road and Pala Mesa Drive; and Gird Road and state Route 76.

A large plume of dark smoke was dwarfing the surrounding neighborhood, which has some very large estates, many with tile roofs that could save the homes. At least one structure appeared to be destroyed by the fire, possibly outbuildings.

Aerial assets, including fixed-wing aircraft and choppers, were involved in fighting the blaze, as are ground crews from both Cal Fire and the North County Fire Protection District. Many of the larger homes are congregated together, and the helicopters and planes seemed to be painting the perimeter of the brush areas, protecting the residences. Many fire trucks and ground crews were also visible, performing structure protection. The once-massive plume of smoke, as of 2:30 p.m., seemed to be decreasing in size as firefighters battled the blaze through the afternoon.

"We're going to be out here for multiple days, making sure we're putting out hotspots and mitigating any hazards," Cornette said.

The cause of the Garden Fire is under investigation.

SkyRanger 7

A second brush fire in San Pasqual Valley was ignited on Friday afternoon, burning not far from residential neighborhoods. That fire began near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the 14800 block of San Pasqual Valley Road. Officials said the fire had the potential to burn 10 acres but was holding at 1-2 acres.

A Red Flag Warning for San Diego that had been in place for days expired at 11 a.m., but the risk of fire did not fade with it.

"We're lucky we're not in that Santa Ana wind event with the Red Flag Warning. The wind was blowing onshore, which was difficult for us, but the firefighters were able to put in some good work today," Cornette said about the Garden Fire.

Check back here for updates on this breaking-news story — Ed.