Firefighters Gaining Control Over San Diego County Blaze

Firefighters were aided by a reduction in wind and a light sprinkling of rain Friday as they struggled for the third day to control the Viejas fire in the hilly rural region of eastern San Diego County.

At nightfall, fire officials said that no new buildings had been destroyed and put the burned acreage at approximately 10,300, less than originally feared. They predicted the fire, which started Wednesday morning along Interstate 8 near Alpine, would be contained tonight.

“We’re still mopping up the hot spots, but the fire is not moving,” said a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

But officials also reported that a fire captain was airlifted to the hospital after a fall that left him briefly unconscious. Two others have suffered minor injuries.

At its peak, the fire was under siege by 2,000 firefighters from agencies throughout California along a 22-mile front. But by today, that number will have dropped to 800.

Nearly all of the 500-plus people who had evacuated their homes were able to return by Friday night, officials said. The Red Cross closed its four shelters.

Five homes were destroyed, --four of them before dawn on Wednesday.

The fire Thursday had threatened the community of Jamul and the Lawson Valley and Beaver Hollow areas but firefighters, using bulldozers and aided by airborne water tankers, were able to stop the fire’s march.

The cause of the blaze has been attributed to a lit cigarette flicked out the window by an eastbound motorist on Interstate 8. No suspects have been identified.