Santee Brush Fire Prompts Evacuations Of Nearby Apartment Complex

SANTEE, CA — Fire officials were mopping up a brush fire in Santee that prompted some residents from a nearby apartment complex to evacuate on Monday afternoon, according to reports from the scene and the Santee Fire Department.

The fire, reported around 2 p.m., scorched a half-acre directly west of an apartment complex on 320 Town Center Parkway, Sante Fire Chief John Garlow told Patch. The blaze shrouded the area and nearby vegetation in smoke.

Nearby roads were closed, along with a connecting roundabout as officials worked to put out the fire.

The wildfire threatened some vehicles in the parking lot, which may have sustained some smoke damage, Garlow said. It was unclear whether the apartment building sustained any smoke damage but Garlow confirmed that the building did not catch fire and that the brush fire was extinguished.

"The wind was blowing into [the building] so at one point it probably looked like it was on fire," he said.

The Santee Fire Department, San Diego County Fire and Lakeside Fire Protection District all responded to the fire.

This is a developing news story, please refresh the page for updates.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story indicated that the apartment had caught fire. Fire officials later confirmed that it was a brush fire that sent smoke over the building.