A brush fire ignited near the San Diego County community of Lakeside on Monday afternoon, burning multiple homes and prompting evacuation orders, authorities said.
The blaze, dubbed the Coches 2 fire, began around 3 p.m. north of Interstate 8 at Los Coches Road in Lakeside, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s San Diego Unit.
One civilian was injured in the fire and transported to a hospital for treatment, according to Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette. A damage inspection is ongoing; however, initial reports indicate that as many as a dozen homes may have been damaged by the flames, he said.
Helicopter footage captured by NBC7 News showed smoke engulfing several hillside structures as ground crews attacked the flames with hoses and a fixed-wing plane dropped water from above.
Forward progress on the 5.3-acre fire was halted at 4:30 p.m., by which point the blaze was 5% contained, according to Cal Fire. Over the course of the evening, crews will focus on mopping up any hot spots and making it safe for evacuated residents to return, Cornette said.
A temporary evacuation site was opened at Viejas Casino, at 5000 Willows Road in Alpine. As of 5:30 p.m., evacuation orders remained in place in a section of Lakeside west of the I-8, while evacuation warnings were lifted in areas of Lakeside farther from the flames. A map of affected zones can be viewed here.
