In East County, it’s been tough going for people trying to escape this week’s scorching temperatures. NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda went out to Santee Lakes to see how people were trying to stay cool.
San Diego County was on high alert for fire danger Wednesday as the second day of scorching temperatures gripped the region amid a heatwave that had already contributed to more than a dozen brush fires.
The National Weather Service extended a Heat Advisory for a second day -- from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, as extreme temperatures showed no signs of letting up.
High temperatures Wednesday are forecast to reach 88 degrees near the coast, 97 inland, 99 in the western valleys, 91 in the mountains and 103 in the deserts.
Tuesday's record-setting high heat and mild Santa Ana winds sparked several brush fires across the county, including a fire at the U.S.-Mexico Border that had burned about two acres of land on the U.S. side. The fire was still being monitored by Cal Fire San Diego crews on Wednesday.
At least two of Tuesday's fires were ignited by power equipment, which should not be used during the types of conditions San Diego County is in the midst of, according to Cal Fire.
A pair of large wildfires continued burning across open terrain on the grounds of Camp Pendleton today, sending plumes of smoke over northern San Diego County but posing no threats to military or civilian structures.
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The flames, which began spreading through training areas toward the center of the Marine Corps base on Monday, had charred roughly 8,600 acres as of this afternoon, according to Camp Pendleton public affairs.
Military firefighters have been aided by Cal Fire ground and airborne crews in their effort to corral the blazes.
Officials have disclosed no cause for the fires. It is not uncommon for munitions training to set brushy native vegetation ablaze at the 125,000-acre USMC base north of Oceanside.
Tuesday's Temperatures Records
Temperature records were set Tuesday in El Cajon, Chula Vista and at the Oceanside harbor, while San Diego and Escondido tied their previous highs.
The 97-degree high in El Cajon broke the previous record of 89 for that date, set in 2015, according to the NWS.
The mercury reached 92 in Chula Vista, besting the 80-degree record set in 1993.
A new high was also reached at Oceanside harbor, where an 87-degree temperature beat the previous best for the date, 76 in 1990. Records date back to 1910.
Meanwhile, San Diego and Escondido tied their previous records on Tuesday, 93 in 1877 and 98 in 1979, respectively.
