CAMP PENDLETON–A vegetation fire that broke out Wednesday evening in Fallbrook and spread to Camp Pendleton is 35 percent contained, according to Cal Fire San Diego.
The Creek fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. off De Luz Road and Sandia Creek Drive, northwest of Fallbrook. The fast-moving blaze grew to over 3,000 acres overnight. As a precaution, fire authorities issued mandatory evacuations of nearly 7,000 residents south of Main Avenue. Mission Road in Fallbrook.
The military base ordered evacuations in the DeLuz Housing, Wounded Warrior Battalion, and Lake O’Neill Campground due to a fire near Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook.
Military personnel were relocated to Paige Fieldhouse, and Fallbrook residents were sent to a Red Cross evacuation site at Fallbrook High School.
The Camp Pendleton Fallbrook gate was closed to all traffic except for emergency vehicles, the base posted in a tweet.
“It was fueled by steep terrains, difficult access and winds,” according to Ryan Rushing, division chief at the Camp Pendleton Fire Department. “Firefighters are working diligently to construct containment lines along the planks ahead of the fire.”
Firefighters from CAL FIRE, Camp Pendleton, and North County Fire attacked the brush fire from the ground and in the air. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department ASTREA helicopter made nearly 40 drops of water on the blaze since 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.
By late Thursday afternoon, mandatory evacuation orders for Fallbrook were lifted, and all evacuees were cleared to return to their homes, Cal Fire San Diego posted in a tweet.
Currently, the Creek fire has charred 4,276 acres and is 35% contained. Firefighters built a ring around the blaze to stop it from reaching any homes.
