Smoke rises from brush fire in Boulevard
The Runner Fire started northeast of Roadrunner Lane and Moonlit Trail in Boulevard. (Photo courtesy of UC San Diego/ALERTCalifornia)

A brush fire broke out late Friday morning in the far southeast reaches of San Diego County, and has since been stopped from spreading further, with all evacuation orders and warnings lifted.

According to CalFire officials, the fire started at around 11:23 a.m., northeast of Roadrunner Lane and Moonlit Trail in Boulevard, due to a blaze that gutted a home at the eastern terminus of Roadrunner.

The blaze spread, burning through 10 acres, with a “moderate rate of spread (and an) immediate structure threat.” It grew to 25 acres within the hour and by shortly before 1:30 p.m., to 88 acres.

CalFire said crews stopped the forward spread of the flames shortly before 2 p.m. with containment at 15%,

Authorities had issued a level 3 evacuation order for areas east of Ribbonwood Road, west of McCain Valley Road, and north of Interstate 8, stretching into parts of the McCain Valley.

Additionally, evacuation warnings were in place to the north and east of the evacuation zones, including Lark Canyon and the Tule Lake area.

A temporary evacuation site was set up at Golden Acorn Casino, 1800 Golden Acorn Way, in Campo.

Firefighters – on ground crews and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters – are facing difficult conditions. Though the region’s heat spell is on the wane, it remains very hot, above 98 degrees, in the remote area. In addition, humidity levels are at just 10%, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the house fire was unknown.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Updated at 10:55 p.m. Aug. 8, 2025