According to authorities, a group of brush fires that were started by vehicles and burned 50 acres while forcing rural residents to evacuate their houses in eastern San Diego County were 75% contained on Saturday.
According to Cal Fire San Diego, firefighters continued to build and reinforce containment lines on Friday as they looked for and put out hot spots inside the Springs Fire’s perimeter.
The evacuation orders closest to the fires in an area roughly bounded by Lawson Peak and Wisecarver Truck Trail to the north; Carveacre Road to the east; Lyons Valley Road to the south; and Skyline Truck Trail to the west were downgraded to warning status by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office late Friday morning. The other orders and warnings were revoked, allowing all displaced residents to return to their homes.
There have been no reports of injuries or structural damage.
According to Cal Fire Capt. Robert Johnson, firefighters will stay on the scene and put out any hot spots.
Johnson continued, “It looks good up there, and hopefully we can get 100% containment in the near future.”
Just before 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, the three wildland fires broke out in close proximity to one another in steep, rocky terrain close to the junction of Lyons Valley and Honey Springs roads in Lawson Valley, east of Jamul, according to Cal Fire.
Investigators determined that an automobile’s exhaust system was the cause of the fires after discovering fragments of a malfunctioning catalytic converter at the scene, according to the state agency.
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Johnson emphasized to the public the significance of maintaining vehicles properly to prevent fires. For example, he said that towing chains should not drag on the ground because this can result in sparks.
Within 90 minutes, Johnson said, ground responders and people on water-dropping aircraft were able to stop the progress of the smallest of the fires. The majority of the combined burn area was made up of the other two, which quickly fused to form a single fire, according to Johnson.
The City News Service
