A brush fire scorched swaths of rough, hilly terrain Tuesday in the far southern reaches of San Diego County.
The blaze erupted shortly before 9:30 a.m. near Butewick Canyon, roughly halfway between Tecate and Otay Mesa Port of Entry in the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, according to Cal Fire.
Due to the rugged and remote nature of the burn zone just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, ground crews had to be airlifted in to fight the flames along with personnel in air tankers and water-dropping helicopters, said Mike Cornette, a fire captain with the state agency.
As of early afternoon, the personnel had halted the spread of the blaze at about 20 acres, Cornette said. No structural damage or injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, the fire captain said.
–City News Service
