Wildfire and Emergency News

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.

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 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.

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.

 

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.

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

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.