A brush fire that ignited Wednesday afternoon from a lightning strike, burning hundreds of acres north of Palomar Mountain and triggering evacuations, is expected to last several days, a fire official said.
The blaze, named the Grove fire, charred 900 acres and was reported to be 20 percent contained, Cal Fire reported shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters are battling flames under hot and humid weather conditions in steep terrain, Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette said.
The fire was reported around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Dodge Valley near the rural community of Sunshine Summit, and it spread quickly. It is located east of Oak Grove and burning to the southwest, Cornette said.
Around 5:25 p.m. that evening, 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.
Sheriff’s officials updated the orders around 8:20 p.m. Thursday to say residents living in areas toward the southeast and northeast end of the fire were allowed to return home.
“The fire is threatening homes off of Chihuahua Valley Road,” Cornette said Thursday.
Cornette said firefighters are working in challenging conditions as they climb steep hills to try to put down containment lines. More than 230 firefighters have been assigned, along with 35 engines, eight water tenders, six helicopters and six dozers. Several air tankers also were expected to make fire retardant drops on the fire, Cornette said.
Firefighters are facing their biggest challenge for the blaze on the southeast side due to terrain.
“The fire is spreading,” Cornette said.
He said officials expect the fire to last “several days.”
“The weather is hot again,” he said.
Forecasters said they expected fewer thunderstorms in the area on Thursday. Temperatures in the area were between the high 90s and low 100s. The air was quite dry with high gusts of wind coming in from the northwest, National Weather Service Meteorologist Casey Oswant said.
We have an #UPDATE on the #GroveFire burning near Warner Springs.
The red area in the map below remains under an EVACUATION ORDER.
The yellow areas remain under an EVACUATION WARNING. Evacuated residents in these areas can return home but are strongly encouraged to REMAIN… pic.twitter.com/DqDyRay9sD
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) July 26, 2024
Heading into the weekend, temperatures are expected to drop into the mid-to-high 80s, Oswant said. Wind speeds are expected to increase, but that will bring in higher humidity, she said.
County officials said the estimated daytime population in the evacuation order zones is about 120 people, while the nighttime population is estimated at 425. The affected area includes 373 structures and nearly 27,000 acres, county spokesperson Mike Workman said.
On Thursday, officials said a temporary evacuation point was set up at the Warner Springs Community Resource Center, 30950 Highway 79 in Warner Springs. Small animals are welcome at that location.
On Wednesday, Red Cross officials set up a shelter at Warner Spring High School, where 13 people stayed overnight and four people with two dogs remained as of 10 a.m. Thursday, Workman said.
Anyone fleeing the fire with large animals is being directed to Ramona High School, 1401 Hanson Lane in Ramona.