Firefighters Gain Upper Hand on Southland Blazes
Firefighters battled a handful of brush fires across Southern California on Saturday that destroyed two mobile homes in San Diego County and prompted the evacuation of 50 children in Kern County.
A blaze that broke out Friday afternoon burned at least 800 acres and destroyed two mobile homes in a rural area near Barrett Junction, said Sheri Bolick, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry.
The fire, about 35 miles east of San Diego, was 80% contained Saturday afternoon. Authorities expected to surround the fire by Saturday night and to extinguish it by 6 p.m. today. The cause of the fire was not known.
Firefighters in San Diego County also battled a 120-acre fire near Highway 94 in Rancho San Diego.
The blaze, which started at 3:15 p.m. Friday, threatened some homes in the area, but no structures were damaged. About 100 firefighters helped contain the fire by Saturday afternoon. Full control was expected by 10 p.m. Saturday, said forestry department spokeswoman Audrey Hagen.
Five helicopters and five air tankers were also used to fight the fires, Hagen said. The aircraft also helped extinguish four other small brush fires Saturday.
In Kern County, a 50-acre brush fire forced the evacuation of 50 children at Camp Condor near Frazier Park on Friday.
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