Wednesday's fast-moving Spring Valley brush fire, dubbed the Pointe Fire, has been fully contained at 26 acres, Cal Fire officials said.
The fire broke out in a canyon Wednesday afternoon near a residential area on Pointe Parkway, south of State Route 94 and east of State Route 125 near Jamacha Boulevard.
Residents said the fire started small, but quickly exploded in size.
Tina Daley had time to grab just one bag and a few items before she left her house.
βIt was scary when it first started because it was going real fast," she said.
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, Cal Fire crews reported they had fully contained the fire at 26 acres. San Miguel Fire Chief Darrin Howell said the fire was difficult to fight at first because of where it broke out.
βThe fire actually started down in the canyon bottom and went both directions towards two different neighborhoods. That was challenging for us,β explained Howell.
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[G] Evacuations Ordered For Fast-Moving Spring Valley Fire
Within 30 minutes of the fire starting, families were told to evacuate and within two hours, they were allowed to go back home. A temporary evacuation point was set up at Monte Vista High School.
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According to San Diego Gas & Electric, Cal Fire called for help from the utility's Erickson Skycrane at 4:30 p.m.
Water drops from the air helped ground crews contain the fire.
One firefighter suffered a snake bite. Cal Fire reported he was recovering well. Another firefighter suffered an ankle injury.
Firefighters are battling 15 acre fire off Pointe Pkwy in Spring Valley (San Diego Co) #PointeFire Evacs in progress pic.twitter.com/LwC1bbTl4q
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 18, 2016
Residents were impressed with the quick action by firefighters.
βThirty feet from the house and not one structure damaged in the whole neighborhood. So thatβs pretty awesome,β resident Patrick Seeger said.
San Diego County's mountains and deserts are under a Red Flag Warning until Friday at 9 p.m.; the National Weather Service (NWS) warned gusty winds and rising temperatures may increase the risk of wildfires.