by In Rancho San Diego, a brush fire that started Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon and spread about 2000 feet west of Steele Canyon High School—which has been declared a temporary evacuation point—crews made significant progress in containing the fire.
After being reported at approximately 2:05 p.m., the fire traveled northwest across undeveloped shrub area and expanded to five acres in about fifteen minutes. According to Cal Fire San Diego, the 28-acre fire spread slowly but has already been contained.
The fire was 75% contained at about 9 p.m., with less than 30 acres of burn area left.
According to Watch Duty, a nonprofit fire organization, five more fire engines, two air tankers, and ground workers fought the fire.
There were evacuation orders and warnings since the fire was considered a critical hazard and had threatened two structures.
Watch Duty reported that early on, a request was made to close Steele Canyon Drive between Highway 94 and Willow Glen Drive.
Two zones had been established for the area west of Steele Canyon. While there is still an evacuation order in effect for Zone B, the one for Zone A has been lifted. At approximately 5:40 p.m., the evacuation order for Jamacha east of the road was withdrawn.
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Meanwhile, the evacuation alerts have been canceled. The fire’s cause is unknown. There have been no reports of injuries.
A potential drone intrusion was reported by Cal Fire San Diego. Although no buildings were harmed, there was a significant risk to public safety due to the incursion.
This report was contributed to by City News Service.
Updated on July 9, 2025, at 10 p.m.
