A brush fire began burning Tuesday morning in an area of rugged, mountainous terrain in the East County community of Dulzura. The so-called #Border 79 Fire, which is in Marron Valley, was first reported a little after 10:30 a.m.
What to Know
- Border 79 Fire reported at about 10:30 a.m.
- 38.2 acres burned
- Evacuations ordered at 11:50 a.m., lifted by 1 p.m.
- Fire was 70% contained as of 6:15 p.m.
A brush fire that began burning Tuesday morning in an area of mountainous terrain in the East County community of Dulzura prompted evacuations and had the potential to be what Cal Fire called a "major fire" but is now 70% contained, according to officials.
Late in the afternoon, authorities said two firefighters had been injured battling the blaze.
#Border79Fire [update] The fire spread has been stopped at 38.2 acres and is now 70% contained. All evacuation warnings and orders have been lifted. Firefighters will remain at scene through the night to build containment line around the fire and cool hot spots.
— CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) December 11, 2024
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Evacuations Ordered
#Border 79 Fire, which is in Marron Valley, was first reported a little after 10:30 a.m. About an hour and a half later, evacuations were ordered, and residents were told that a temporary evacuation point had been established at Edwards Cinemas in El Cajon.
San Diego County Sheriff's deputies at the scene told NBC 7 that very few people were affected by the evacuation order — it's possible that as few as 30 homes are in the area where people have been ordered out. By 1 p.m., though the danger had passed and residents were allowed back in their homes.
Firefighter injured
Local
Two firefighters were injured while battling the fire on Tuesday, officials said. They were hurt in the middle of the burn area, according to Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette, who confirmed one has a head injury and the other has a leg injury.
Cornette said the injuries could have came from a falling boulder, adding that crews were in the process of hoisting the firefighters out.
The fire's progress
Cal Fire originally said the fire charred 30 acres and had prompted a major callout for firefighting resources but around 12:45, officials said the fire had been digitally mapped to be 24 acres by an aircraft and had been 50% contained.
Earlier in the day, the flames were said to spreading at a critical to dangerous rate of spread, and Cal Fire said it expected to fight the fire for an extended period of time. That time frame is still likely, with the mopping up of hot spots in such a large area.
A large plume of smoke from the blaze was pushed nearly perfectly sideways by Santa Ana winds during a red-flag warning that is set to expire at 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
As of 10:50 a.m., wind gusts of up to 30 mph were reported in the area, where the relative humidity was just 10%, according to NBC 7's Brooke Martell. Much higher wind speeds have been recorded Wednesday around the county, including at Interstate 8 and Willows Road, where a gust blew 71 mph at 9:52 a.m.
Residents in the area are currently without power, since San Diego Gas & Electric took hundreds of customers in the area off the grid around 4 p.m. on Tuesday as part of a public-safety power shutoff. More than 50,000 locals are currently without power, but many have electricity being supplied by personal generations.
No road closures were issued during the fight against the fire, the cause of which has yet to be determined. No structures have been reported damaged by the fire.
State Route 94 runs through Dulzura in an area of unincorporated San Diego County north of Barrett Junction a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
