A 4-acre brush fire scorched a field near a train station in Oceanside Thursday, officials confirmed.
The blaze sparked in a vacant field just after 12:40 p.m. along Crouch Street at Skylark Drive, near Oceanside Boulevard and behind the North County Transit District's Sprinter Station, Oceanside Fire Department Division Chief Pete Lawrence said.
When crews arrived, one acre of grass was burning, with a moderate rate of spread. The fire was starting to spot across the road, jumping to three locations.
Lawrence said firefighters worked quickly to stop the fire from crossing the street where heavier brush stood, waiting to fuel the flames.
Fire officials told NBC 7 they also worried about the flames jumping uphill and spreading to seven nearby homes that stand in an area known as Fire Mountain.
Racing, crews were able to supress the spot fires.
Lawrence said if the fire had continued to cross the street, those homes in the Fire Mountain area "would have been immediately threatened by the flames."
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Within 23 minutes, the OFD said crews were able to stop the forward progress of the fire and contain it. In all, four acres were scorched; the spot fires, combined, burned another quarter-acre.
At around 2 p.m., crews remained at the scene mopping up hot spots and monitoring the site. The field was blackened.
A half-hour later, crews were wrapping up their work at the scene and police were reopening the roads.
Lawrence said a total of 25 fire personnel and seven engines helped tackle Thursday's fire, including crews from Carlsbad and Camp Pendleton.
Lawrence said there were no evacuations or injuries. The cause of Thursday's fire remains under investigation, but officials said it was not started by electrical lines or utility infrastructure.
OFD officials told NBC 7 there have been two other brush fires in the surrounding area over the past several days.
It is unclear, at this point, if the fires are in any way connected.
