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

Sign up to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.  You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.

Update 5:05 p.m.-- The #Border2Fire is now 248 acres and still 0% contained. Winds have shifted toward campgrounds with campers at Pio Pico told to evacuate and Thousand Trails campers receiving a warning to be prepared, per social media posts from campers at these sites.

update 4 p.m.-- The fire is now 148 acres per Watch Duty app and is large enough to be visible from space. (Photo, right, via NASA)

Update 3:45 p.m.-- The fire is now 50 acres and 0% contained, per Cal Fire.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo  by Barry Jantz: Border 2 Fire viewed from Jamul, with Jamul Casino in foreground.

January 23, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The #Border2Fire that started within the hour on Otay Mountain is now 20 acres and burning at a "dangerous" rate of spread, per Watch Duty App. Cal Fire lists the size as 10 acres with potential for 200 acres.

The fire started near Otay Truck Trail in the Otay WIlderness area.  Infrastructure on the mountain is threatened, per Watch Duty App.

The incident commander has requested major resources including two large air tankers, helicopters, and 10 additional engines.

Sign up to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.  You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.

Update 4 p.m.:  Evacuations have been listed and forward spread has been stopped.

Update 11 a.m. -- The evacuation center at Castle Creek Golf Course has closed. Evacutees should go to Riverview Church,4980 Sweetgrass Lane in Bonsall.

January 21, 2025 (Bonsall) -- The #LilacFire in Bonsall has burned 80 acres and destroyed two homes, with 10% containment.  Mandatory evacuations have been ordered. The fire is burning along Old Highway 395 and North Lilac Rd.

View evacuation areas at the Genaysis mapping site.  An evacuation center is at the Castle Creek Golf Course, 8797 Circle R Drive in Escondido 92026.  Large animals can be taken to the CRC Ranch at 43101 Anza Rd in Temecula - per San Diego Sheriff's on X.

All schools in Bonsall are closed today due to the fire, according to the Bonsall Unified School District.

A second blaze that started overnight, the Pala Fire, is 100% contained at 17 acres. That fire was located west of I-15 and 2 miles north of Highway 76 in Pala.

Firefighters are making good progress on the fire, Cal Fire posted on X. 

Sign up for East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts, which are free via email, at the top right side of our homepage.

You can also follow EastCountyAlert on X.

By Miriam Raftery

January 20, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Cal Fresh is offering up to one month of benefits to replce food lost due to a power outage or natural disaster—but you must apply within 10 days of food loss.

 That news comes as welcome relief for residents in rural East County, where some have lost power multiple times recently due to planned public saety power outages by SDG&E to prevent wildfires, as well as from other causes.

You can qualify for replacement food cost benefits if you had food spoilage due to:

• A power outage lasted longer than four hours
• Utilities were shut off for any reason
• A freezer or refrigerator stopped working

To apply, download a Replacement/Affidavit/Authoriization Form (CF-303) at https://SDHunger.org/replacement-calfresh . More details below.

To submit your form, you can either walk it into your local Health and Human Services office, contact a local CalFresh Application Assistance Provider at https://sdhunger.org/calfresh-assistance, or submit the form online at https://GetCalFresh.org/docs.

Questions?  If you need help finding or filling out the correct form, submitting your request, or have other questions, contact one of the following local CalFresh  Applicant Assistance Providers at:

4058 Willows Rd.,Alpine 91901, phone (619)445-1188 exdt. 543

36350 Church Rd., Campo 91906, phone (619)445-1199 ext.545.

Update 4 p.m.:  Forward spread has been stopped and fixed-wing aircraft dismissed, though helicopters remain on scene.

East County News Service

January 20, 2025 (Poway) – Structures are immediately threatened by a brush fire in Poway.  The #TedWilliamsFire is burning along Ted Williams Parkway and Pomerado Road. 

Evacuations are being conducted near Glen Oak Road, Watch Duty App reports. Evacuation details: www.AlertSD.org.

The blaze has charred three acres thus far and comes amid a Red Flag Alert due to dry conditions and potential for very high winds.Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at the top right side of our homepage. Also follow EastCountyAlert on X.

By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2025 (San Diego) – January’s freakish weather continues with both fire danger and frost forecast for this week.  The weather hazards line up for a potentially “worse case” scenario, the National Weather Service predicts.

A red flag warning has been issued for San Diego County’s inland mountains and valleys Monday and Tuesday due to low humidity and strong winds forecast.

Cold mornings will also bring frost in sheltered inland valleys west of the mountains.

Widespread wind gusts over 35 miles per hour are expected, with a high potential for gusts up to 60 miles per hour in the mountain areas Monday and Tuesday.

Inland valleys and lowlands may also see gusts over 40mph.  A second round of Santa Ana winds is expected Thursday.

There is a chance of patchy fog that may reduce visibility in the early morning, resulting in hazardous conditions for travel.

Stay safe! Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.

You can also follow EastCountyAlert on X (formerly Twitter.)

Source: SDG&E

January 12, 2025 (San Diego) –On Friday,  San Diego Gas & Electric reported that it had restored power to all customers affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Despite the restorations, unprecedented and prolonged dry conditions continue. SDG&E encourages customers to remain prepared with the potential for future shutoffs in the coming days.

SDG&E began de-energizing customers earlier this week in response to elevated wildfire weather conditions and the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in the past 174 years. This proactive measure was taken to reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety. Following patrols and inspections of power lines on foot and by air, SDG&E crews restored power for all customers who were impacted by PSPS as of Friday evening.

During this week’s PSPS, SDG&E opened Community Resource Centers in the affected areas, providing customers with services such as Wi-Fi, food, and phone and medical device charging. With power now restored, all of the Community Resource Centers have been closed.

For information about this PSPS event and the potential for future events, please visit SDGEToday.com or follow SDG&E’s X channel, @SDGE. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Lakeside Fire Department, which has sent firefighters to battle the Palisades wildfire

January 11, 2025 (Los Angeles) – After days of massive destruction and widespread evacuations, firefighters are finally making progress on four remaining wildfires in the Los Angeles area.  At least 13 people have died in the fires, which have destroyed an estimated12,000 structures, the Los Angeles Times reports.

At least 90 firefighters from San Diego County have been dispatched to help fight the L.A. fires, including Lakeside Fire Department, which posted photos on social media of the Palisades Fire that their firefighters have been battling since Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands remain evacuated, as firefighters slowly make progress toward controlling fires fueled initially by hurricane-force winds.

Here are the latest updates from Cal Fire and L.A.-based news outlets:

The Palisades Fire has burned 22,600 acres and is now 11% contained. The wildfire has ravaged Pacific Palisades, portions of Malibu, and homes along Pacific Coast Highway.  Current evacuation orders include much of Brentwood, Encino,Calabasas, Sansta Monica,Malibu and Pacific Palisades.  This fire has damaged or destroyed around 5,300 homes; another 12,000  structures are still threatened.

The Eaton Fire has scorched14,117 acres and is 15% contained. Around 7,000 structures have been damaged or lost, according to fire officials, in Pasadena and Altadena.

The Kenneth Fire is now 80% contained after burning 1,052 acres near the Los Angeles and Ventura county lines. All evacuation warnings have been

lifted.

Evacuation orders have also been lifted for the Hurst Fire, which burned approximately 779 acres in the Sylmar area.  The Hurst Fire is now 76% contained.

At least two other fires have been fully contained, including a blaze that threatened portions of Hollywood.

Firefighters have come from across the region and as far away as Canada and Mexico. Canada has deployed 250 firefighters, while Mexico has sent at least 101 “bomberos” or firefighters to L.A.  Numerous inmate firefighters are also help to control the conflagrations.

After Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state emergency, President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip to Italy to meet with the pope in order to get aid to California. President Biden announced that the federal government will cover “100 percent of all the costs” to fight fires in Los Angeles County, higher than the 75% customarily granted by the federal government to states during disasters.

It is unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will continue to provide aid to California, since Trump has previously threatened to withhold disaster aid from states that didn’t vote for him.  Asked if he is confident that the Trump team members will continue to send disaster aid to California,  Biden responded, ”I pray to God they will,” Politico reports.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Henri Migala: Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

January 9, 2025 (Los Angeles) – Over 179,000 people are under evacuation orders as massive fires continue to burn across Los Angeles County, with no containment as yet on the worst conflagrations.  Fire officials’ estimates of homes lost range from several hundred to over 1,000, and at least five people have died.

The Palisades Fire has scorched over 1,700 acres, burning all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Videos posted online show massive destruction of homes along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Most of Pacific Palisades has been destroyed, with evacuations as far away as Santa Monica. It remains 0% contained.  Low water pressure left some hydrants without water and high winds have restricted firefighting aircraft, leaving the blaze to burn out of control in its crucial early hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Eaton Fire has charred over 10,000 acres in Pasadena and Altadena.  It is 0% contained; this is the fire in which five people are confirmed dead, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills also forced evacuations. It has burned 42.8 acres and is 0% contained, per the Watch Duty App.

In Sylmar, the Hursts Fire has burned 855 acres and is 10% contained.

The Lidia Fire in Soledad Canyon is reportedly 40% contained, with forward progress stopped.

Only the Woodley Fire, which started in an L.A. nature preserve, has been 100% contained.

The wildfires have been fueled by in some cases hurricane-force winds amid the driest conditions in more than a century for this time of year.  The winds are forecast to continue, making firefighters’ work challenging.  “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles FireDept. Chief Kristinj Crowley stated today.

Firefighting reinforcements have come in from numerous areas, including San Diego County.  The Governor has declared a statewide emergency and President Joe Biden has pledge reimbursement for firefighting expenses, though President-Elect Donald Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting aid for California. 

How you can help

GoFundMe has launched the California Wildfire Relief Hub to help those affected by wildfires in Los Angeles County and potentially other California communities if future fires occur. Each fundraiser in the hub has been verified by GoFundMe’s trust and safety team