EAST COUNTY : Brush Fires Char Over 775 Acres

Separate fires struck Monday in East County, one charring more than 750 acres of brushland and threatening houses, authorities said.

The fire in the brushlands of the Barona Ranch Indian Reservation continued to burn out of control late Monday, whipped by winds up to 30 miles an hour in the afternoon. Traffic was closed on Wildcat Canyon Road throughout the reservation for several hours.

The fire broke out about 2 p.m. near a former bingo hall on the reservation grounds, said Audrey Hagen, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. By the evening, 47 engine companies, 464 firefighters, four bulldozers, eight hand crews, five air tankers and one helicopter had responded.

The fire was spreading east toward the western border of the Cleveland National Forest, Hagen said. No damage to buildings had been reported, Hagen said. The cause of the fire had not been determined.

Two firefighters were hospitalized for heat exhaustion and no other injuries had been reported Monday night, officials said. With the fire 20% contained at its east side Monday night, officials said they expected it would take two days to completely contain.

An earlier fire in Jamul south of California 94 at Fair Acres Lane burned about 5 acres before being extinguished by CDF firefighters.

About 100 firefighters responded to the fire, which started about one-half mile south of the highway. One unidentified firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and was treated at the scene, CDF Capt. Mike Paulette said. The fire was reported at 12:16 p.m. and was under control by about 2:30 p.m., Paulette said.