Campo

A fire that scorched more than 1,100 acres of brushland in East County was brought under control Thursday afternoon and was expected to be completely out by Friday evening, senior firefighters said.

Five air tankers and three helicopters bombarded the blaze with water and fire-fighting chemicals throughout Thursday. At its peak, up to 1,000 firefighters from the California Department of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service and several rural departments battled the blaze.

Late Thursday, the fire was 50% under control and firefighter strength was reduced to 200, according to CDF spokeswoman Cele Cundari.

The fire roared unabated through steep, rocky canyons 40 miles east of San Diego early Thursday. Several houses were threatened but escaped damage, and there were no evacuations, Cundari said.

Seven firefighters suffered minor injuries.

The fire started about noon Wednesday on a horse ranch outside a bar in Canyon City, known locally as Dogpatch. Officials said the fire started by the spontaneous combustion of horse manure in near 100-degree temperatures.