The fire started around noon and grew to about 12 acres before San Miguel Fire & Rescue was able to put it out. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports.
Evacuations were briefly ordered by first responders Thursday afternoon after a brush fire began burning in East County near where state Routes 125 and 54 intersect.
By 12:30, officials said, the flames in Spring Valley from what was called the Quarry Fire had charred an acre near Quarry and Sweetwater Roads, but the fire spread significantly in the following hour, eventually burning a little over 12 acres, with the forward spread of the flames stopped by around 2 p.m.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in some areas, including at Leigh Avenue and Spring Canyon Drive — a map of the affected areas can be seen below — but officials de-escalated the evac order to an evacuation warning later in the afternoon, eventually lifting all evacuations by 3:35 p.m.
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While Cal Fire originally had deployed two firefighting helicopters at the scene, assisting the San Miguel Fire & Rescue and its ground crews, those aircraft were released and sent to fight a second fire that started shortly after in the College Area. Something similar occurred with the majority of ground crews, though a few firefighters were still at the scene in Spring Valley around 2:45, mopping up hot spots.
Evacuees were originally instructed to go to the gym at Mt. Miguel High School, but, by 2:30 p.m., NBC 7 spoke with some people who had already returned to the scene.
An official with San Miguel Fire told NBC 7 that no injuries were caused by the fire, nor were any structures damaged.
