Evacuations downgraded to warnings as firefighters battle 1,000-acre fire

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Cal Fire crews entered their second day of battling a wildland fire sparked by a car crash in East County as it reached over 1,000 acres on Tuesday. Evacuations have been downgraded to warnings for the area near Jacumba Hot Springs.

The fire, called the McCain Fire, broke out near the McCain Valley Road exit of Interstate 8 just before 4 p.m. on Monday. Cal Fire said flames were spreading at a moderate rate of speed, but it was still able to reach 1,000 acres overnight.

No injuries have been reported aside from the driver of the vehicle that crashed, causing the fire to spread by nearby brush. Their current condition is not known.

As of Wednesday morning, the brush fire was 1,362 acres and 50% contained. According to Cal Fire , fire crews “took advantage of the low fire intensity” Monday night to make progress towards containing the brush fire.

The size of the wildfire put upwards of 150 structures in danger, prompting both evacuation warnings and orders. This included at De Anza Springs Resort, a campground just north of Jacumba Hot Springs.

As of Tuesday at 3:15 p.m., Cal Fire San Diego lifted the evacuation order for the area around De Anza Springs Resort.

“Residents are reminded to REMAIN READY for any change in conditions to the evacuation warning. Those residents who need extra time to evacuate are advised to stay clear of the area,” the fire agency said.

No structures have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the fire.

A map of where evacuation notices remain in place can be found below. An interactive version can be found on the county of San Diego’s website.

The sections of the map shaded in yellow are under an evacuation warning, meaning there is an imminent threat to the area.

A temporary evacuation shelter has been set up at Golden Acorn Casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way in Campo. Firefighters advise those in the fire area who feel threatened to leave immediately.

“We laid in our vehicles overnight,” one evacuated resident told FOX 5 Tuesday morning. “When the sun was going down, it was just black clouds at that point.”

“There were times on the freeway where you couldn’t see the tail lights in front of you because the smoke was so bad,” she continued. “Crazy, it was just crazy.”

Above: A time lapse of the McCain Fire breaking out in eastern San Diego County. (Credit: ALERTCalifornia/UC San Diego)

Over 200 fire personnel from Cal Fire and other agencies have been deployed to attack the fire, including four aerial crews who have been making water drops on the flames. According to Cal Fire , these helicopter attacks are expected to ramp up Tuesday.

The McCain Fire is the biggest wildfire to burn through San Diego County this year so far, according to Cal Fire.

FOX 5’s Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.

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