A fast-moving brush fire in a North County canyon Thursday afternoon prompted evacuation orders before crews gained the upper hand and halted the spread of the flames.
Firefighters and officers responded to the blaze in the mid-afternoon, in an area of open space behind the 7500 block of Camino Minero, near Corte Claro, close to the Carlsbad and San Marcos city line.
As of 3:50 p.m., Carlsbad police, along with the San Diego Sheriff’s Office, were evacuating areas near San Elijo Road, along the Rancho Santa Fe Road corridor.
By 4:55 p.m., the San Marcos Fire Department said that crews had stopped the flames’ forward rate of spread.
That was 30 minutes after the department reported that the blaze had grown to 60 acres, while adding that “firefighters and aircraft (are) making progress.”
Reports of the brush fire came in before 3 p.m., according to the non-profit service Watch Duty. Authorities requested air support, including tankers and a helicopter.
#ClaroFire A brush fire is burning near Corte Claro and Paseo Encino in the City of Carlsbad, near the Carlsbad/San Marcos border.
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) June 12, 2025
An EVACUATION ORDER is in place for the shaded areas in red shown in the maps below. It means everyone in the impacted area must leave… pic.twitter.com/OjwYemX5Nm
The blaze, dubbed the Claro Fire, burning in light to moderate vegetation, was thought to have the potential to grow to 100 acres, the service reported.
The flames initially did not threaten structures, but authorities called for evacuations, an order that remained in place until after 5 p.m.
The evacuation zone, near Denk Mountain, was southeast of San Elijo Road and So. Rancho Santa Fe Road, and included Dove Tail Drive, Weatherwood Court and Burbury and Sheridan ways. It extended south along Camino Junipero past Fire Road.
Residents leaving their homes were sent to Stagecoach Park, 3420 Camino De Los Coches, in Carlsbad.
Evacuation warnings issued for other communities, including San Elijo Hills, to the northeast of San Elijo and So. Rancho Santa Fe, also were lifted.
The fire zone included the La Costa Oaks South community west of Copper Creek Falls.
Road closures, according to Watch Duty, included eastbound San Elijo at Rancho Santa Fe and southbound from San Elijo at Melrose Drive.
“Please avoid the area,” Carlsbad police warned on social media as the fire began.
Updated 6:30 p.m. June 12, 2025
