What to Know
- Where: Fairmount Avenue and Montezuma Road
- Size: Estimated at 37 acres; 25% containment as of 6:30 p.m.
- Evacuations: All evacuation orders lifted by 9 p.m.
- Road Closures: Several roads were closed in the area. See below for the full list
A brush fire in the College Area grew quickly Thursday afternoon and threatened structures in the area, prompting evacuations.
The brush fire sparked around 1:30 p.m. on the south side of Montezuma Road — an area filled with old, dry palm trees, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Monica Munoz — and quickly jumped the road and began spreading uphill.
"It looks like a war zone over here," said one resident who was evacuating on foot along Montezuma Road. "I've never seen anything like this before. From SDSU, I could see the very dark smoke and I could see some of the flames, but I didn't realize how catastrophic it was."
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Firefighters with multiple agencies quickly responded as the blaze sent a plume of smoke over the College Area and across San Diego. Several air firefighting resources arrived at the scene and were making retardant drops to prevent flames from spreading further.
By 2:45 p.m., the blaze was 37 acres and evacuations were underway, although firefighters seemed to be gaining an upper hand on the battle.
"I feel like we've got a handle on it," Munoz said around 3:15 p.m. "Now I can't tell you exactly when it's going to be out, but I do feel confident."
Local
The main areas of concern for firefighters were the Talmadge area and Alvarado Estates, Munoz said. Both neighborhoods sit atop hills, and fires have a tendency to move quickly up hillsides.
The #FairmountFire was 25% contained as of 6:30 p.m., San Diego Fire said in an X post, adding that six homes were damaged by the flames and that there were no injuries reported.
The #fairmountfire is 25% contained as of 6:30pm. Montezuma Rd will remain closed all night for apparatus access.
— SDFD (@SDFD) November 1, 2024
When Talmadge can repopulate, notice will post here, Allied Gardens Rec, via Genasys & AlertSD.
6 homes damaged; no injuries. #firefighter pic.twitter.com/3DRKM24U23
Crews were expected to remain on the scene overnight, with fresh crews arriving periodically to provide relief.
Evacuations
San Diego police were evacuating homes near the canyon along Montezuma Road, which was shut down in both directions.
An evacuation point was also set up at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center (5155 Greenbrier Ave, San Diego, 92120).
All evacuation orders were lifted by 9 p.m. The latest evacuation updates can be found here.
All areas that were under mandatory evacuation for the #fairmountfire are now open for repopulation.
— SDFD (@SDFD) November 1, 2024
Montezuma Rd between Collwood Blv & Fairmount Av will remain closed thru the night.
Power has also been restored to the area. @SanDiegoPD pic.twitter.com/cvlu0YlIVN
Hardy Elementary School at 5420 Montezuma Rd. was also under evacuation. Students were being taken to Viejas Arena and parents headed to pick up their children were asked to avoid College Avenue.
Shortly after the blaze erupted, SDPD said they were going door-to-door along Lucille, Lila and 49th streets warning people who need to leave.
A resident who was not evacuated and lives across the street on Lucille told NBC 7 he saw the fire coming through.
"Folks know what to do here because this is an ever-present danger," the resident said. "They knew to go next door, get their neighbors out. We have a number of elderly people here, a lot of pets, so we got the elderly folks out, we got the pets out, moved them to a safe area."
"You live on a canyon, you take that risk, and you know that there's always a danger."
Munoz said anyone who feels uncomfortable -- weather under mandatory evacuation or not -- should not hesitate to go to the Allied Gardens Recreation Center evacuation point.
Animals were welcomed at the evacuation center as well. The San Diego Humane Society said it had provided assistance to 15 pets so far.
Road closures
Several roads have been closed in the area, and officials are urging people to avoid the area.
Road closures include:
- Fairmount Ave and Montezuma Road
- Fairmount and Aldine Drive
- Montezuma and 55th
Fire officials said at 6:45 p.m. that motorists should expect Montezuma Road to remain closed all night while firefighters worked in the area.
San Diego State University told students there was no threat to the campus or their community but traffic delays should be expected. Evacuation orders may be affecting the surrounding areas but were not affecting the campus, which was still open and holding classes, the university said.
"Road closures near campus are expected to be in place until midnight," the university said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. "Roads impacted are: Aldine Drive at Fairmount Avenue, Fairmount Avenue at Montezuma Road and Montezuma Road at 55th Street."
Traffic was particularly heavy along Interstate 8, which prompted a SigAlert for eastbound lanes.
The MTS said several bus routes were affected by the fire, including Routes 11, 13, 14 and 955.
How did the fire start?
SDPD told NBC 7 that the fire was believed to have started in a palm tree but the cause was not yet known.
The fire started shortly after another blaze in Spring Valley earlier in the afternoon that prompted some evacuations.
Resources from several different agencies responded to help with the firefight, including the fire departments of Lakeside, Santee, Miramar and Cal Fire.
"This is what we do, we help each other out," Munoz said. "In this county, we have a tremendous relationship among our fire agencies. We never have a concern that someone else will not be able to help us."
How is the weather affecting the fire?
NBC 7 Meteorologist Francella Perez said the fire was creating its own wind particularly because the fire was climbing up a canyon.
Wind speeds were in firefighters' favor with speeds of only about 5 mph and there were no Santa Ana winds to contend with, Perez said. But humidity was very low in the 20 to 30th percentile.
Munoz said that although wind speeds were low, it was changing directions quickly, which made the firefight challenging.
Check back here for details on this breaking news story — Ed.
