Firefighters halted the progress of several brush fires that broke out in East County on Wednesday and quickly lifted a brief evacuation order.
Crews from several agencies worked together to stop flames near Millar Ranch Road, Sloane Canyon Road and Dehesa Road. The first blaze, according to Cal Fire San Diego, began near Millar Ranch and state Route 94 in Spring Valley and grew to 11 acres.
Crews had those flames 5% contained by 3:18 p.m., authorities said, and had stopped the fire’s forward progress.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office said an evacuation order was issued for an isolated area in the northern reaches of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, with a broader evacuation warning to the south on San Miguel Mountain.
By 4 p.m. the order and other warnings had been lifted.
“If you had to leave, it is now safe to go back home,” sheriff’s officials posted to social media.
A temporary evacuation center for the Millar Fire opened at the Regal Edwards Cinemas on Jamacha Road in El Cajon.
Residents in about 65 homes were asked to leave their neighborhoods as a precaution while crews attacked the fire on the ground and from air tankers and water-dropping helicopters,
said Mike Cornette, a Cal Fire captain.
The blaze affected traffic as well. The California Highway Patrol in El Cajon issued a SigAlert for backups along SR-94.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department sent three brush engines and a battalion chief to assist on the Millar Fire. Response to the fire had shifted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the evening.
Another blaze, according to Cal Fire, began on Proctor Valley Road in Jamul. The Proctor10 Fire was burning in multiple spots, but by 3:28 p.m. had been stopped by firefighters.
Cal Fire is looking into the cause of the fires. Investigators asked that anyone who has information on the blazes to call an anonymous hotline at 1-800-468-4408.
No injuries have been reported.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Updated 5:50 p.m. Nov. 20, 2024
