East County News Service
January 25, 2025 (Rancho San Diego, CA) -- In light of the ongoing evacuations at the Border Fire, the Water Conservation Garden on the campus of Cuyamaca College is opening its grounds with free admission to evacuees and their pets. Free Wifi is available.
“We hope The Garden can provide a peaceful escape, a place to recharge, and a reminder of the resilience of nature and community,” says Lauren Magnuson, Director of Garden Operations. She adds, ”Stay safe, and we look forward to welcoming you.”
For more information, visit https://thegarden.org/
Update January 25, 2025- The fire had modest growth overnight and is now 6,500 acres, per Cal Fire.
Update 8:15 p.m.-- Per CalTrans, State Route 94 is closed in both directions between Honey Springs Rd. in Jamul and State Route 188 (access road to Tecate) due to the fire.
Update 5:55 p.m.-- The fire is now 6,272.7 acres per Cal-Fire. The mandatory evacuation area has been extended to some areas east of State Route 94.
January 24, 2025 (Jamul/Dulzura) -- Evacuation orders and warnings for the #Border2Fire now extend to immediately south of Jamul Casino, including areas east and west of State Route 94, and significant portions of Chula Vista. Photo left is as of 1 p.m.; click this link for latest evacuation areas and hit the plus sign to enlarge to view details: https://app.watchduty.org/camera/2231 Also see another map here: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/23/border-2-fire.
The fire, which started on Otay Mountain yesterday, is now 5,389 acres and 10% contained per Cal Fire. An Evacuation Center has now been set up at: Cuyamaca College 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon, CA 92019.
The Sheriff has suspended visits to county jail in Otay Mesa including George Bailey and Rock Mountain detention facilities as well as the East Mesa Reentry facilities. Currently inmates are sheltering in place but there is an evacuation plan in place if it becomes necessary, the Sheriff advises.
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Update 12 p.m.: Cal Fire has mapped the fire at 5,389 acres. It remains 10% contained. View laetst evacuation areas, whcih have expanded, here: https://app.watchduty.org/i/41110
By Miriam Raftery
January 24, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The #Border2Fire has exploded overnight to 4,250 acres with 10% containment, Cal Fire reports this morning. Per San Diego County Sheriff, #Border2Fire. An evacuation order has been issued for people who live in the red shaded areas as shown on the map at left as of early this morning. It means there is an immediate threat and you need to leave right now. An evacuation warning has also been issued for the areas in yellow.
Areas under evacuation notices include Dulzura, portions of Jamul, Lower Otay Reservoir, Otay Mt. Truck Trail, Campo Rd., the Elite Training Center and more. Otay Ranch Town Center and Olympian High School are under evacuation advisories.
Evacuation Points: Red Cross volunteers are supporting two temporary evacuation points:
- Edwards Theater, 2951 Jamacha Rd., El Cajon
- Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista
Note: Evacuations orders and warnings may be updated frequently; for the most recent maps please see:
https://protect.genasys.com/fullscreenMap? and
http://emergencymap.sandiegocounty.gov/index.htmlSome schools in the area are closed.
Road closures
Westbound & Eastbound SR-94 at Otay Lakes Rd is closed due to the fire - per Caltrans San Diego on X.
Alta Road is closed to traffic just south of Otay Mesa Road.Otay Lakes Rd is under a hard closure at Wueste Rd.
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Source: SDG&E
January 25, 2025 (SDG&E) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced this evening that power has been fully restored to all customers affected by recent Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Over 19,000 customers were impacted in dozens of local communities. These shutoffs were implemented as a wildfire prevention measure in response to unprecedented weather conditions that led to prolonged high-fire risk.
“SDG&E recognizes that being without power can be incredibly frustrating and tiring. We sincerely thank our customers for their patience and understanding over these last three weeks as we took proactive steps to minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” a press release from SDG&E states. ”We don't make the decision to implement shutoffs lightly. These measures are crucial for safeguarding lives, property, and entire communities during times of extreme fire risk."
Record-Breaking Conditions
The weeks-long weather event brought a rare combination of extreme Santa Ana winds, with gusts exceeding 100 mph in some places, critically low humidity levels and a historic lack of rain in the region.
By the Numbers Since January 7:
- Historic weather: San Diego County has experienced the driest start to the rainy season in the past 174 years.
- Advanced monitoring: SDG&E has 222 of the nation’s most sophisticated weather monitoring systems that are continuously tracking wind speeds and wildfire conditions. These systems, combined with millions of historical weather data points, help us make informed decisions about which communities are most at risk.
- Record-breaking winds: Wind speeds in the county reached record highs of over 100 miles per hour, with 62 wind-gust records broken at SDG&E’s weather stations.
- Community support: SDG&E opened 12 Community Resource Centers, offering services like Wi-Fi, food, and charging stations for phones and medical devices to support our impacted customers.
Update 8:46 p.m.-- The fire is now 600 acres, per Watch Duty App. No structures are currently threatened.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo, left, by Jeff Caton, taken from the intersection of Fletcher Parkway and Cuyamaca St. in El Cajon this evening.
Photo, right: Border 2 Fire viewed from HP Wren Otay Mountain West camera
January 23, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Border 2 Fire burning on Otay Mountain has swelled to 566 acres as of 7 p.m. tonight. The flames are visible as far north as Escondido and Ramona. There is zero containment as yet.
The fire which began early this afternoon was burning at a “dangerous” rate of spread, Watch Duty App reported, however this evening Cal Fire indicates it is growing at a moderate rate as winds have lessened.
No evacuation notices have been sent out by the County, though campers at Pio Pico and Thousand Trials have posted on social media that they were advised to evacuate or prepare to evacuate.
Alta Rd. is closed to traffic south of Otay Mesa Rd., per Watch Duty app.
View our earlier coverage:
https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/border-2-fire-otay-mountain-spreading-dangerous-rate
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