Brush Fire At Camp Pendleton 65% Contained

CAMP PENDLETON, CA — A wildfire at Camp Pendleton that prompted evacuations, forced closures of stretches of Interstate 5 and destroyed one building on the Marine base was 65% contained Sunday after growing to 3,160 acres, authorities said.

Firefighters worked through the night strengthening containment lines and were continuing mop-up operations Sunday, extinguishing hot spots and securing the perimeter to prevent further spread, Cal Fire said.

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Weather conditions were expected to become more favorable, with higher relative humidity and a shift to onshore winds supporting ongoing containment efforts.

The Henderson Fire broke out shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Basilone and Las Pulgas roads and rapidly swept dangerously close to populated areas of the military base, according to Cal Fire. About two hours later, an incident update from the state agency identified the westward- advancing fire as a "threat to Interstate 5."

Within 90 minutes of that notification, authorities had shut down the freeway in both directions between Basilone Road and Harbor Drive. Video shot from inside a vehicle traveling on an unidentified roadway in the area showed heavy flames burning to within feet of the edge of the traffic lanes directly underneath utility poles.

The freeway later reopened.

At the height of the fire, there were more than 530 personnel assigned, 44 engines, 2 bulldozers, a water tender, 14 crews, and numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state flying fire suppression missions as conditions allowed.

The San Diego County Incident Management Team was assigned to support the Henderson Fire, providing additional leadership and coordination across command, operations, planning, logistics and finance. Firefighters will continue building containment lines, extinguishing hot spots and addressing hazards as suppression efforts continue.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. No injuries have been reported.