Evacuations were ordered Wednesday afternoon for homes and businesses in the path of a growing brush fire north of Palomar Mountain near the San Diego-Riverside County line, authorities said.
Firefighters are in a rocky and uphill battle as they fight the Grove fire, which was reported about 1:15 p.m. in the area of Dodge Valley near the rural community of Sunshine Summit, Cal Fire reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Around 5:25 p.m., officials announced evacuation orders for the areas around Chihuahua Valley Road, east of state Route 79 and south of the San Diego-Riverside county line. Evacuation warnings were issued in the area of Stone Ridge Estates.
The temporary evacuation point is Warner Springs High School, which is at 30951 Highway 79. Animals are welcome, sheriff’s officials said.
#UPDATE Here is the latest map showing areas under an Evacuation Order (red) and Evacuation Warning (yellow) due to the #GroveFire. This is a developing situation and the information we provide is current at the time of posting. Please continue to follow @SDSheriff… pic.twitter.com/VCLJ7LgCJX
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) July 25, 2024
The fire has grown to 816 acres by 8 p.m. and had 5 percent containment, Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette said around 5:30 p.m. It was moving in a southeast direction.
Cornette said firefighters were having trouble accessing the blaze as it headed toward the challenging terrain of Chihuahua Valley.
“We have substantial air and ground resource requests, and firefighters are currently putting in line around the fire,” Cornette said. “Firefighters are experiencing deep and rocky terrain.”
While the cause of the fire is under investigation by Cal Fire, the National Weather Service reported a large thunderstorm in the community around the time of ignition and that a lightning strike hit the ground in the area. The high was around 100 degrees Wednesday afternoon, the weather service reported.
Staff writer Gary Robbins contributed to this report.