San Diego
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A brush fire west of Rancho Penasquitos threatened homes and forced the evacuation of about 30 people living in what fire officials called a commune on Sunday but was contained before any structural damage occurred.
A San Diego Fire Department spokesman said the blaze broke out shortly before 3 p.m. in a hilly area off Black Mountain Road. Because of the proximity of thousands of homes in the Penasquitos area, more than 100 firefighters from San Diego, Poway and Escondido were summoned to battle the flames. In addition, air tankers were dispatched by the California Department of Forestry.
Within an hour, the fire was declared under control after burning about eight acres of grassland. Its cause is under investigation by the Fire Department’s Metro Arson Strike Team.
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