Fueled by scorching heat and strong winds, several brush fires encircled San Diego County on Friday, incinerating multiple structures and forcing the evacuation of 2,400 people.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Diego County, saying that the largest fire in Alpine, near Interstate 8 and West Willows Road, posed “extreme peril” to public safety.
That fire dubbed the West fire, ignited at 11:25 a.m. and scorched 400 acres before firefighters stopped its forward progress about five hours later. By nightfall, the fire was 5% contained. The cause of the fire was under investigation, said Capt. Kendal Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Several hundred firefighters were battling the fire from the ground and air. Two firefighters were hospitalized, with one suffering heat-related injuries and another slight burns to his face.
“We have made great progress [on the fire] but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Bortisser said. “The fuels are stressed. You combine that with winds and high heat and you have the potential for a disastrous wildfire.”
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