A fire burned 44 acres of vegetation behind new homes in Chula Vista on Tuesday but was stopped before it could reach any property, Cal Fire officials said.
The slow-moving fire was reported along Agua Vista Drive and Via Ponte Tresa, east of State Route 125 or the South Bay Expressway, just after 9 a.m., according to fire officials.
In Photos: Vegetation Fire Burns Close to New Housing Development
It was burning in a canyon west of the Vista del Cielo community, which was still in the process of being built, according to an NBC 7 crew on the ground.
The neighborhood is north of Proctor Valley Road and at the base of Mt. San Miguel. Smoke could be seen rising above the mountainside.
Flames began spreading towards the community before it changed directions and spread westward. One resident told NBC 7 said the fire nearly reached her backyard though Cal Fire crews said no homes were threatened and no evacuations were made.
By 11 a.m., crews had the stopped the spread of the wildfire, dubbed the Agua Fire by Cal Fire officials.
The fight to control the blaze was a joint effort between Cal Fire and Chula Vista Fire Department crews. A helicopter circled the blaze and made water drops with water from the nearby Otay Lakes.
Firefighters were working with humidity at less than 15 percent and easterly-blowing winds in that area.
