Homes Spared As I-15 Brush Fire Containment Improves In Escondido

ESCONDIDO, CA – UPDATE: FRIDAY, MAY 19, 3:40 p.m.

A fire of unknown origin blackened about five acres on a brushy hillside next to Interstate 15 in northern San Diego County today, moving dangerously close to homes but causing no reported structural damage or injuries.

The blaze near on the west of the freeway near Deer Springs Road in the unincorporated Escondido area erupted shortly before 12:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire.

Ground crews and personnel aboard emergency-services helicopters and air tankers worked to corral the flames and keep them away from nearby houses, getting the spread of the fire halted within about an hour, said Issac Sanchez, a fire captain with the state agency.

The blaze forced the closure of one lane on the southbound side of the interstate and caused heavy congestion in the area through the afternoon, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Sanchez said.

As of 3:40 p.m. today, the fire was at 65 percent containment, Cal Fire said.

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UPDATE: FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1:50 p.m.

A 5-acre brush fire near Interstate 15 in the Escondido area is 50 percent contained this afternoon, however crews are expected to be mopping up at the scene mopping into the evening, Cal Fire said.

As of roughly 2 p.m. the No. 4 lane remained closed in the area and three structures were potentially threatened, the department said.

Nine engines, four hand crews and an aircraft fought the blaze that broke out around 1 p.m. along Deer Springs Road, Cal Fire said.

This is the second fire in two days in the region. On Thursday, ground and airborne firefighters halted the spread of a roughly two-acre hillside brush fire off La Honda Drive, near Dixon Lake in the Daley Ranch Park area of Escondido, according to Cal Fire. That blaze posed no structural threats, the state agency reports.

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FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1:15 p.m.

A 5-acre brush fire is burning near Interstate 15 in the Escondido area this afternoon and threatening structures along Deer Springs Road, Cal Fire said.

Traffic in both directions along the highway is slowed, according to a motorist.

This is the second fire in two days in the region. On Thursday, ground and airborne firefighters halted the spread of a roughly two-acre hillside brush fire off La Honda Drive, near Dixon Lake in the Daley Ranch Park area of Escondido, according to Cal Fire. That blaze posed no structural threats, the state agency reports.

--Patch will update when more information is available.

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--Patch and Cal Fire images and Patch video/CNS contributed to this report