4 Brush Fires Add to Havoc in S.D. County

Four major brush fires--at least one believed to have been started by an arsonist and another touched off by ammunition in a military exercise--ravaged San Diego County on Tuesday, adding to the toll of a young fire season that began with Sunday’s catastrophic Normal Heights blaze.

At least seven homes and several other structures were destroyed and hundreds of residents were evacuated as the separate blazes in the northern and eastern sections of the county consumed more than 20,000 acres. Backed up by several air tankers, more than 1,200 firefighters used hundreds of pieces of equipment against the flames, some moving from one blaze to another across the county.

The four fires Tuesday raged in Deer Springs on the northern fringe of Escondido, near the tiny community of De Luz north of Camp Pendleton, in Gopher Canyon northeast of Vista and near Mt. Miguel south of El Cajon. There were reports of firefighters receiving treatment for smoke inhalation, but no reports of serious injuries.

Stoked by a record-breaking heat wave, the fires continued what authorities said could be one of the most destructive fire seasons ever in Southern California. Authorities said the hot, dry weather could in some critical areas result in a virtual repeat of the Normal Heights fire, in which more than 100 homes and other structures were destroyed and damaged.

“The hot and dry weather has created extreme burning conditions throughout Southern California,” said Capt. Steven Robertson of the California Department of Forestry. “We are in a very critical stage; those fires that do start are very easily spread. . . . The hot weather has dried up the vegetation, and it is readily combustible.”

The Deer Springs fire, which Deer Springs Fire Chief Stan Mourning said was “definitely an arson,” destroyed at least six homes and several other structures as it jumped Interstate 15 and burned a trail that forced the evacuation of the communities of Jesmond Dene and Escondido Hills.

At nightfall, the 650-acre Deer Springs blaze was considered contained east of I-15, but it continued to burn to the west, still posing a threat to some distant homes.

The 5,000-acre De Luz blaze, ignited by exploding ordnance at nearby Camp Pendleton, destroyed one home at the Scott Ranch and many acres of avocado orchards. By Tuesday morning, the blaze had moved through De Luz Canyon just north of a Navy weapons depot where weaponry, ammunition, combat vehicles and approximately 20 million gallons of napalm are stored.

Authorities said they expect the De Luz fire to continue to burn today and be controlled by 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Gopher Canyon fire, which began Monday and has since destroyed one home and consumed 1,300 acres, was considered 90% contained late Tuesday. Authorities said they expect the fire to be 100% contained by 6 a.m. today.

Ironically, after the De Luz blaze had scorched 3,000 acres, the county Office of Emergency Services issued a “red flag alert” Tuesday afternoon, warning against the use of firearms.

The Gopher Canyon fire, which began Monday and has since destroyed one home and consumed 1,300 acres, was considered 90% contained late Tuesday. Authorities said they expect the fire to be 100% contained by 6 a.m. today

The Mt. Miguel fire, which started Sunday, burned more than 12,000 acres before it was extinguished at 6 p.m. Tuesday. That conflagration had on Monday destroyed three homes, several other structures and an undetermined number of vehicles and livestock.

The Deer Springs fire appeared to pose the greatest threat to property. It started about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday just south of the Deer Springs Fire Station on Mesa Rock Road, a frontage road on the west side of I-15.

Mourning said the fire was “definitely an arson” because it started simultaneously in two spots about 100 feet apart. “That’s not a natural phenomenon. That’s a set fire.”

The fire soon jumped the freeway. Motorists found themselves driving between walls of flame as brush burned on both sides of the freeway and on the median.

The blaze moved in a southeasterly direction through a rural area, destroying several homes in its path. It neared the new tract development of Escondido Hills, where authorities began an evacuation at 3:30 p.m. A police unit with a loudspeaker cruised through the area blaring, “This is the Escondido Police Department advising you to evacuate this area. If you stay we cannot guarantee your personal safety.”

Homeowners started dousing their wood shake-shingle roofs with garden hoses and packed valuables into family cars.

One resident, Richard Horsfall, turned to his wife and said, “Oh, honey, it’s going to miss us. Just look at the wind.” Then he turned to a bystander and added, “It won’t get here, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be ready just in case.”

About 60 families checked into an evacuation center established at Escondido High School, about two miles from the fire. Among the evacuees were about 30 residents of the Country Squire Guest Home, a retirement home.

The Humane Society took charge of evacuating six horses, three cats and two goats to the Cloverdale Ranch near the Wild Animal Park.

In some spots, the fire burned up to the outside walls of some homes, but the structures were spared. Firefighters also took care in protecting propane tanks in the fire’s path.

Several roads were closed during the fight against the fires. The California Highway Patrol closed Old Highway 395 for about three hours Tuesday afternoon between Jesmond Dene Road and Country Club Lane in Escondido; Jesmond Dene Road was closed between Centre City Parkway and North Broadway, and Centre City Parkway was closed between Hidden Meadows Road and the city limits of Escondido, a spokeswoman said. All the roads were opened at 7 p.m. to restricted traffic, Hill said.

Fire officials said they are trying to determine the cause of the Mt. Miguel and Gopher Canyon fires.

Times staff writers Tom Gorman, Jenifer Warren, Janny Scott, Lorena Oropeza and Nancy Reed contributed to this story.