Crews have fully contained the 130-acre brush fire burning in rural East County near Dulzura.
The fire, which the agency is calling the Border Fire, sparked along Marron Valley Road and State Route 94 (also known as Campo Road) in the community of Dulzura around 4:30 a.m. Friday.
The fire is located northwest of Tecate and east of State Route 125 or the South Bay Expressway.
Cal Fire officials said its crews have reported 100 percent containment of the fire.
The area is so remote, Cal Fire crews have set up portable "snap tanks" to hold 2,000 gallons of water. Crews are filling up the tanks with water from trucks. That water is then pumped into water tenders and driven out to fire trucks out on the lines.
“It’s steep terrain. The fuels are somewhat light. This area actually had burned in years past. But there’s a lot of grass because we got all of the rain in the wintertime,” said Cal Fire Captain Jon Heggie.
A helicopter working to battle the flames made a precautionary landing due to a mechanical issue, Cal Fire officials said. No one was injured.
Flat bed trucks were also loaded up with water and ice.
Local
Temperatures in this part of the county were in the low 100s at midday, humidity was a dry 20 percent with winds light for the most part, though gusts in the passes are approaching 15 mph, according to NBC 7 weather anchor Whitney Southwick.
"The quick spread of this fire is more to do with the hilly topography and available fuel than the weather," Southwick said.
County officials sent an advisory phone call to those residents who have signed up to AlertSanDiego, however, no evacuations have been ordered.
No structures were threatened. Some residents have grown used to the fire season.
“Normally, everybody out here who’s been here for so many years, they’re used to it," said Jose Hernandez, who works at a store in Dulzura.
"They probably have all of their property cleaned out. There’s a couple neighbors out there that always clean their properties. That’s the best thing you can do out here," added Hernandez.
San Diego Gas & Electric confirmed it has sent its firefighting aircraft "Aircrane" as of 9 a.m.
The Aircrane is stationed at Gillespie Field in El Cajon and is leased to San Diego County as a resource when fighting local wildfires.
It holds more than 2,600 gallons of water or retardant and can fill up in less than a minute, SDG&E officials said.
County officials suggest residents register their mobile phones with AlertSanDiego to receive evacuation notices when warranted. Go to the county website for more information.
The fire is burning in the same area as the 2007 Harris fire.
