A brush fire sparked in Alpine Saturday morning near the Viejas Casino & Resort, leaving three firefighters with heat-related injuries, officials confirmed.
The blaze was first reported around 9:50 a.m. off westbound Interstate 8 at East Willows Road, and one structure was threatened by the flames, according to Jason Kraling, a battalion chief with Cleveland National Forest.
No mandatory evacuations were put into place, but the fire crept within 50 feet of buildings nearby.
Three firefighters were taken from the scene with minor, heat-related illness. They have since been treated and are doing fine, according to Kraling.
"It's hot, it's dry, it's humid and it's just fatigue and heat-related," said the battalion chief.
By 4:30 p.m., the fire was about 50 percent contained.
California Highway Patrol officials said a passerby reported seeing sparks flying from a pickup truck that may have then ignited some nearby vegetation.
Local
Fire crews began tackling the blaze, which officials said was spreading quickly as of 10:10 a.m. Officials shut down parts of westbound I-8 near the fire just before 10:30 a.m. so crews could begin making airdrops over the flames.
"We were able to utilize the SDG&E heavy heli-tanker, as well as the fixed wing aircraft out of Ramona, and then two sheriff's helicopters out of Gillespie," said Kraling.
At 10:30 a.m., CHP officials said a crash involving several vehicles happened near the scene of the brush fire. The injuries and severity of the crash was unknown.
Around 10:45 a.m., Cal Fire officials said crews were helping Cleveland National Forest firefighters with the wildfire. By 10:55 a.m., officials had issued a SigAlert in the area and the roads were blocked off to traffic for several hours.
Kraling said the freeway presented them with one of the biggest obstacles.
"We're right off the freeway, so we've had to close one lane of Interstate 8 going westbound, and on a Saturday, that causes some congestion and fast cars on the highway create some issues for safety," Kraling said.
Westbound lanes were being diverted to West Willows Road, while eastbound lanes remained open.
By 12:35 p.m., officials said the fire had been fully contained. Crews remained on scene mopping up hot spots.
Amid a late-August heat wave in San Diego, the temperature in Alpine was approximately 95-degrees when the fire sparked.
NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe said hot temperatures were expected to drop off about five degrees at most Saturday, but temperatures would still remain well above normal, especially inland and in local deserts.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
