Firefighters quickly quelled a quarter-acre brush fire crawling up a Tierrasanta hill towards homes.
The fire broke out around 3:53 p.m. Wednesday in a canyon off Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Santo Road, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) officials said.
The quarter acre fire burned at a slow rate of speed in medium fuel, firefighters said. The flames were heading up toward a community of homes, but crews quickly stopped the forward rate of spread.
Firefighters requested the Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) to investigate.
No further information is available.