Wildfires

Smoke plume from Border 66 brush fire towers above East County

The blaze southwest of Potrero has charred nearly 300 acres, officials said

NBC Universal, Inc.

Firefighters in the remote backcountry of San Diego County were battling a blaze on Tuesday afternoon.

Cal Fire has named it the #Border66Fire. It burned nearly 300 acres near the base of Tecate Peak, which is southwest of the community of Potrero. Flames from the fire have crossed the border into Mexico as well, according to Cal Fire.

By nightfall, firefighters had stopped the fire's forward rate of spread at 300 acres and gained 20% containment.

Both fixed-wing aircraft and firefighting helicopters were seen in the air above the fire, making water and fire-retardant drops.

A large plume of smoke from the fire, which is near Border Road, was visible for miles around.

Cal Fire said at about 1:20 p.m. that no structures are threatened by the fire.

Due to the fire, two National Guardsmen assigned to support Border Patrol operations were evacuated from Tecate Peak. No injuries were reported, according to U.S. Border Patrol.

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