Firefighters were mopping up a brush fire that started in Ramona on Tuesday.
Cal Fire responded to a 2-acre brush fire that quickly grew to 4 acres, dubbed the Hanson Fire, with a moderate rate of spread around 1:15 p.m. on the 300 block of Hanson Lane in Ramona.
A U.S. Forest Service helicopter made water drops as Cal Fire crews worked on the ground. The forward rate of spread was stopped by 1:25 p.m.
Crews will stay on the scene for the next couple hours to mop up and construct a containment line, Cal Fire said.
Residents can register for safety alerts at ReadySanDiego.org.
Breaking. Crews from Cal Fire and Ramona Fire all over this vegetation fire. It’s all but out. A witness tells me he saw a palm tree on fire and then fire took off. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/GwsJSbpwxo
— Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) October 29, 2019
The fire started on private property behind a house in a large, open field with dry brush. No homes were threatened as winds blew east, drawing the fire away from homes, according to an NBC 7 reporter.
Crews were reportedly doing construction work on the property, reporter Artie Ojeda said. The property owner kicked NBC 7 crews out of the area as investigators interviewed construction workers to try and determine the exact cause of the fire.
Local
A witness said the fire appeared to start near a palm tree and two trees were visibly smoldering.
This brush fire comes as San Diego gears up for a Red Flag Warning that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service said wind gusts during this time could be the strongest so far this season, with the most hazardous expected on Wednesday.
The winds will be coupled with devestatingly low humidity levels. Daytime dew points would hover around 5 percent.
With those conditions, any wildfire that sparks has the potential to grow rapidly, the NWS said.
In preparation for the conditions, about 33,000 homes and businesses could have their power shut off to prevent fires from downed power lines as Santa Ana winds increase this week, San Diego Gas & Electric said.
The communities alerted include: Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Dulzura, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Jacumba, Jamul, Julian, Lakeside, Mount Laguna, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Pine Valley, Potrero, Poway, Ramona, Ranchita, Rancho Santa Fe, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ysabel, Valley Center, and Warner Springs.
No other information was available.
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