Alpine brush fire charred 5 acres
Firefighters attacked a quick-moving brush fire that burned off Interstate 8 in Alpine Saturday morning, bringing it under control in about an hour.
The blaze was reported about 9:50 a.m. near Willows Road. U.S. Forest Service officials said the blaze was sparked when a vehicle on the freeway lost a tire.
One westbound I-8 lane was closed to traffic for hours but has reopened.
Although the nearly five-acre fire threatened two homes for a time, coming within 50 feet of one, no mandatory evacuations occurred, said Cleveland National Forest Battalion Chief Jason Kraling. Air drops and ground crews helped get the fire under control in about an hour, and by 12:30 p.m. the blaze was considered about 50 percent contained, he said.
“Fire is unpredictable,” Kraling said. “We’re here to come in and bring order to chaos.”
About 120 firefighters from numerous agencies were assigned to the incident. Firefighters were expected to work into Sunday mopping up hot spots.
In addition to the U.S. Forest Service and Viejas Fire Department, Cal Fire, the Alpine Fire District and San Diego County Fire Authority were among other agencies to put out the fire. Firefighters also used an SDG&E helitanker as well as a plane out of Ramona and two sheriff’s helicopters from Gillespie Field.
Viejas Fire Chief Don Butz thanked the public for not flying drones over the fire scene, noting the danger the unmanned aerial vehicles place on ground crews and air support.
One resident whose property was briefly threatened was trying to clear brush last minute with a tractor to protect his home. Authorities said that kind of activity can instead hinder firefighting efforts and get in the way of crews.
A heat wave across the county this weekend has raised the threat for wildfires. Alpine reached temperatures in the mid-90s by noon while humidity remained low at about 15 percent with winds of about 10 mph. Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered heat-related injuries, officials said.
“Right now the resources we have in the county were sufficient for this incident,” Kraling said.
However, he warned residents to be prepared, making sure there is at least 100 feet of defensible space leading up to their homes.
“With the conditions we have and this time of year, be prepared, have a plan,” he said. “Have your defensible space done, know where you’re going to go. Be ready.”
