Inmate Firefighter Injured In Lakeside Brush Fire: UPDATE

Updated 6:18 p.m. Wednesday:

LAKESIDE, CA – A member of an inmate firefighting crew was critically injured Wednesday while helping extinguish a small brush fire that briefly threatened a mobile home park near Lake Jennings, authorities reported.

The man suffered a severe leg wound about 2:45 p.m. in an accident involving a chain saw he was using to clear away vegetation at the site of the blaze in the 13400 block of Olde Highway 80 in Lakeside, according to Cal Fire.

Medics took the man to Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, where he was admitted in critical condition, said Jon Heggie, a fire captain with the state agency. The victim's name was not released.

The fire started around 1:30 p.m. at Los Coches Road and Olde Highway 80, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Crews had the flames under control within an hour. No structural damage was reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

No other information was immediately available.

This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates. Details may change as more information becomes available.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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