Fire injures two, burns at least seven homes in San Diego County community
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- A brush fire ignited Monday afternoon near homes in Lakeside, damaging multiple structures and prompting evacuation orders for surrounding communities.
- The 5.3-acre Coches 2 fire was halted by 4:30 p.m. and was 5% contained, with at least one civilian injury reported.
- Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for different areas, with a temporary shelter opened for displaced residents.
A brush fire ignited near the San Diego County community of Lakeside on Monday afternoon, burning multiple homes and injuring two people, authorities said.
The blaze, dubbed the Coches 2 fire, began around 3 p.m. north of Interstate 8 at Los Coches Road in Lakeside in a brushy area near a mobile home park, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s San Diego Unit.
Two civilians were injured in the fire and transported to a hospital for treatment, one with burn injuries and the other suffering from smoke inhalation, according to Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette. An initial damage inspection found six properties destroyed and one property damaged, but that number could change as more structures are assessed, he said.
Helicopter video footage captured by NBC7 News showed smoke engulfing several hillside structures as ground crews attacked the flames with hoses and an airplane dropped water from above. More than 200 firefighters were deployed to the incident at the peak of the firefight, Cornette said.
“It was warm and windy,” he said. “Winds were coming out of the west, and that aided in the fire’s growth from the vegetation into the mobile home park.”
Forward progress on the 5.3-acre fire was halted at 4:30 p.m., by which point the blaze was 5% contained, according to Cal Fire. By 8 p.m., crews had increased containment to 25%.
Firefighters will remain at the scene overnight, mopping up any hot spots and making it safe for evacuated residents to return, Cornette said.
A temporary evacuation site was opened at Viejas Casino & Resort at 5000 Willows Road in Alpine. As of 8 p.m., evacuation orders remained in place in a section of Lakeside west of Interstate 8, while evacuation warnings were lifted in areas of Lakeside farther from the flames around 5 p.m. A map of affected zones can be viewed here.
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