A backhoe in use at a housing construction project near Rancho Bernardo sparked the first large wildfire to erupt in San Diego County this week, authorities from the Metro Arson Strike Team have determined.
The so-called Bernardo Fire erupted about 11 a.m. Tuesday off Nighthawk Lane in 4S Ranch amid hot, dry and gusty conditions.
Pushed to the west and north by stiff Santa Ana winds, the flames blackened nearly 1,600 acres between Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Santa Fe, prompting thousands of evacuations but causing no structural damage or serious injuries, according to Cal Fire.
According to a news release from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, investigators found that:
“After digging and then covering one of the trenches, the crew started moving to the next excavation location. As they were walking away they noticed smoke and flames in the area they had previously excavated. The backhoe operator and the rest of the crew attempted to extinguish the flames, but were unsuccessful. The fire started to rapidly spread throughout the dry brush. The backhoe operator and witnesses were forced to flee for their own safety.”
On Wednesday, some of the crews working to subdue the blaze had to divert to other large local wildfires, including ones that destroyed homes and other structures in Carlsbad and San Marcos.
Investigations continue into the causes of the other fires that started in the region Wednesday and Thursday. Escondido police arrested two teens in connection with small fires Thursday and said that they had not linked them to any of the other far more destructive blazes.
– City News Service contributed to this report
