A wildfire that erupted Saturday in a remote area of San Diego's East County has scorched more than 500 acres of land and is 50% contained, Cal Fire San Diego said Tuesday.
The vegetation fire, dubbed the Overland Fire, was reported at about 9 a.m. near Canebrake Canyon Road and Great Southern Overland Stage Route, east of Mount Laguna.
On Saturday, four people near the perimeter of the fire had to be rescued, according to Cal Fire. One of the individuals was airlifted to get medical treatment for dehydration.
The fire quickly grew to be hundreds of acres large. On Sunday, the fire grew to about 425 acres but firefighters were able to increase containment to 25%. By Tuesday morning, the blaze was at 515 acres and 50% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
The fire was a half-mile west of County Highway S2, east of Mount Laguna and posed no threat to structures, fire officials said.
San Diego County faced a heat wave this week. With the region facing a drought, Cal Fire San Diego said it's bracing itself for the heat wave.
Cal Fire said the county has already seen a 26% increase in fires and the acres burned are 58% higher compared to this time last year.
Due to the excessive heat, Cal Fire has shut down popular hiking trails in the Cleveland National Forest (Cedar Creek Falls and Three Sisters Falls Trailhead), where they tend to have more rescues.
Local
No other information was available.
Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.
