Gunfire May Have Sparked Fire in Cleveland Forest

The season’s first major brush fire, which officials are tentatively blaming on sparks from target shooting, was under control Monday after scorching 650 acres in the Cleveland National Forest.

The blaze ignited Saturday afternoon about 4 miles north of Ramona and spread under strong winds, according to U.S. Forestry Service officials.

Because it started in an area popular for target shooting, which is legal throughout much of Cleveland National Forest, investigators suspect gunfire as the cause, Norm Noyes, a spokesman for the U.S. Forestry Service, said.

However, it could take days or weeks to pinpoint the cause, Noyes said. “Sometimes, what appears to be (started by) target shooting turns out to be arson,” he said.

Although gunshot sparks have been blamed in other blazes--such as the September, 1990, Del Dios fire, which charred 3,000 acres west of Escondido--Noyes said gunfire generally shouldn’t touch off flames.

One exception is steel-core ammunition manufactured in China, he said, but that has been banned in the sprawling Cleveland National Forest.

The weekend blaze, which burned a few miles east of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, was battled at its peak by 340 firefighters, assisted by two helicopters and three water-dropping airplanes, officials said. Winds gusting up to 30 m.p.h. pushed the flames up steep terrain before the blaze was brought under control late Sunday night.

Mop-up crews continued to patrol the area Monday afternoon, officials said.

No injuries were reported, and no buildings were damaged by the fire.