A wind-driven wildfire blackened dozens of brushy open acres southeast of Pine Valley Tuesday, prompting evacuations and destroying an outbuilding before ground and airborne crews were able to subdue the flames.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons shortly after 11:30 a.m. near Black Wood and Old Mine roads, several miles north of Golden Acorn Casino in the Boulevard area, according to Cal Fire.
Ground crews and personnel aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters fought the flames, which were moving to the northeast amid gusty conditions, said Thomas Shoots, a fire captain with the state agency.
“Certainly wind is the biggest factor in (the spread of) this fire,” Shoots said.
Authorities cleared people out of about a half-dozen structures near the burn area, Shoots said.
As of 1 p.m., the blaze had grown to about 30 acres, Cal Fire reported. As of shortly before 4 p.m., firefighters had halted the spread of the burn area at about 37 acres, according to the state agency.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Updated at 4:54 p.m. June 20, 2023
City News Service contributed to this article.
