Agua Fire: 59 Acres Burned, 60% Contained In North County

PAUMA VALLEY, CA – Crews are working on fully containing a roughly 60-acre wildfire in San Diego's North County Wednesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, the so-called Agua Fire remained at 59 acres and was 60 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

The blaze was first reported about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday off state Route 76 in the Pauma Valley area, near Pala Casino and Wilderness Gardens Park, according to Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol. Within three hours, the fire had scorched roughly 50 acres and was 10 percent contained.

Containment was about 15 percent by 9 p.m., according to Cal Fire, which reported that two people were evacuated early in the firefight, but both were allowed to return home after about 90 minutes.

About 150 firefighters along with fixed-wing aircraft and water-dropping helicopters were deployed at the height of the fire-suppression effort. Crews had all the active flames within the burn zone extinguished by late Tuesday, Cal Fire Capt. Issac Sanchez said.

Around 100 firefighters were assigned to the fire Wednesday to continue mopping up and working toward full containment, according to Cal Fire.

The blaze, called the Agua Fire due to its proximity to seasonal Agua Tibia Creek, threatened some rural homes for a time but caused no known structural damage, Sanchez said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Also see:

• Brush Fire Burns 50 Acres Along Highway 76 In North County
• Incredible Images Of The Agua Fire In San Diego's North County

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Mark Ritter