Crews stop spread of brush fire east of Safari Park that burned 240 acres between San Pasqual and Ramona

A brush fire broke out east of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park between San Pasqual and Ramona on Friday afternoon, drawing a fast and heavy attack by fire crews and helicopters as it quickly charred 240 acres of rugged terrain and prompted evacuations along more than a dozen streets in a gated neighborhood.

Fire crews increased containment overnight to 15 percent, Cal Fire said Saturday morning.

The blaze, dubbed the Pasqual Fire, erupted for unknown reasons about 1:30 p.m. near state Route 78, Cal Fire spokesman Issac Sanchez said. It spread on both sides of the highway along the eastern end of the San Pasqual Valley, moving southeast away from the Safari Park.

By 7 p.m., all active flames were extinguished, the forward spread of the fire had been halted and the burn area was 5 percent contained, Sanchez said. The fire burned an estimated 240 acres.

Amid temperatures that reached as high as 102 degrees at 3 p.m. in Ramona, the fire spread quickly, growing to its full size by 4:30 p.m.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

State Route 78 remained shut down along a roughly seven-mile stretch as of Friday night. Upon first responding to reports of the fire, CHP officers quickly closed the highway between Ramona Highlands and Bandy Canyon Road.

Officers later stretched the closure further to the east, essentially shutting down the highway between San Pasqual Academy on the western side to Haverford Road in Ramona on the eastern side.

Cal Fire issued evacuation orders around 3:30 p.m. for residents living on more than a dozen streets in the area, many of them in the gated Highland Hills neighborhood west of the Ramona Airport. Those evacuation orders remained active as of 7 p.m., though they were expected to be lifted shortly thereafter, Sanchez said.

The evacuated streets were Rangeland Road, Oak Grove Road, Highland Hills Drive, Horizon View Drive, Maggiore Drive, Cinque Terre Drive, Corniglia Drive, Via Cuesta, Via Vista Grande, Prestige Street, Rancho Villa Road, Weekend Villa Road, Day Star Way and Rustic Villa Road.

All evacuees were directed to Ramona High School at 1401 Hanson Lane in Ramona.

Winds in the area were not strong Friday, mostly blowing from the west and northwest between 10 and 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Fire officials knew early in the afternoon that the winds were not expected to strengthen or change direction, but they still warned residents to stay alert.

“When we have a fire like this, the potential we’ve got, and the kind of fuel conditions we have, every community that’s in the area in any direction should be very cognizant of what’s going on,” said Deputy Chief Kelly Zombro from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Officials also held out hope in the afternoon that helpful weather would arrive later in the day.

“With any luck, the marine layer is going to come in,” Zombro said around 4 p.m.. “But right now, (the fire) is off to the races.”

Investigators taped off an area Friday afternoon where they believe the Pasqual Fire may have originated. The cause of the blaze, which had burned 240 acres by 4:30 p.m., was still under investigation Friday evening.

(J. Harry Jones/ San Diego Union-Tribune)

Investigators at one point taped off a dirt turnout on the south side of Route 78 near San Dieguito Park’s Clevenger South trailhead where they believe the blaze may have originated.

The investigators did not immediately say what might have sparked the flames.

Air tankers dropped water and retardant on the fire with a focus on a ridge of mountains to the south of state Route 78. Over that ridge were the large homes, vineyards and wineries in the private Highland Hills neighborhood.

While aircraft attacked the flames from above, two bulldozers plowed a containment line on the west edge of the burn area between it and the Safari Park a few miles to the west.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park remained open throughout the day as the blaze moved away from the park, San Diego Zoo spokeswoman Darla Davis said.

The Safari Park, formerly named the San Diego Wild Animal Park, is an extension of the San Diego Zoo, has a breeding program and keeps many large and endangered animals in free-range enclosures.

Safari Park officials do have a protocol that involves crating some animals and moving others to an on-site hospital or barn during a fire, but none of those steps were taken Friday, Davis said.

The San Diego Humane Society tweeted that its Animal Rescue Reserve unit was on standby and “ready to help transport horses, livestock or even household pets to safety.”

“In the event of a disaster, leave early and take your pets with you if you can,” the Humane Society tweeted.

Crews from Cal Fire, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, San Diego County Fire Authority and Cleveland National Forest all responded. Cal Fire and SDFD coordinated the battle.

Staff reporters Pauline Repard and Gary Warth contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

9:45 a.m.: This article was updated to indicate the containment increase overnight.

7:30 p.m.: This article was updated to show the forward spread of the fire was stopped.

4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new size and containment figures.

4:25 p.m.: This article was updated with evacuation orders.

3:45 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 2:15 p.m.