EXPLOSIVE FIRE IN SAN DIEGO NEAR BORDER CLOSES HIGHWAY, SPARKS EVACUATIONS

[Liberty Belle]

This is a monster burning in a very dangerous place with a history of devastating wildfires. If you know anyone in its path, tell them to get out now!

August 31, 2022 (San Diego’s East County)—The #BorderFire32 has swelled to 1,600 acres since starting this afternoon near State Route 94 and Barrett Lake Road near Dulzura.

The fire is burning eastward, with zero containment. It has crossed State Route 94 on the eastern portion of the fire. Structures are threatened, at least one has burned, and more than 400 homes have been ordered to evacuate tonight as the fire burns at a critical speed. Mandatory evacuation areas include much of Potrero, Barrett Junction, Dulzura and Tecate.

State Route 94 is closed all the way from Otay Lakes Rd. in Dulzura to Forrest Gate Rd. in Campo. The Tecate border crossing is also shut down.

More here:
https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/explosive-growth-fire-near-border-closes-highway-sparks-evacuations

[Samrob]

1. Is Chula Vista in this path? Can't reach family, no calls going through. Anyone know? nt

[Renew Deal]

2. Here is a NASA fire map.

I don't know how accurate it is.

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@-116.0,32.7,9z

[maveric]

3. Not close to Chula Vista.

It’s more east by a long way.

[Liberty Belle]

4. No. It's in the southeastern part of the county, burning eastward for now.

It's quite a ways from Chula Vista right now.

That said, the Harris Fire in 2007 that started in Potrero (which is now ablaze) did burn close enough that part of Chula Vista was evacuated.

This fire started in Barrett Junction near Dulzura, east of Potrero, and is now burning through Potrero, also threatening Tecate. The border station there is closed, but San Ysidro to the west is open.

I had a reporter out there who got embedded with a helicopter crew and later wound up rescuing some fire guys in his vehicle when the fire nearly overtook them -- he just called; we'll have that dramatic story up tomorrow.

[haele]

6. No, it's East County, in the county proper. Chula Vista is South and West.

By about 20 miles.
At danger:
Barrett Lake (famous for lake caught Catfish Fry and mobile home parks), Portrero (the SCA has a Labor Day War there - ), Dulzura, Camp (San Diego Railroad Museum where you can ride steam engines on an hour-long trip) Lake Morena, along with Tecate, which is a nice Mexican border town famous for wineries and breweries.
Highway 94 is a popular back county motorcycle day trip route.

Not a good start for the Labor Day weekend.

Haele

.

[Demovictory9]

10. Near that secondary inland border crossing

[2naSalit]

5. It wouldn't take much for that to become a...

Big mess. A change in the wind is all it would need.

[lapfog_1]

7. alertfire has a pretty good view of it

https://www.alertwildfire.org/region/sdge/?camera=Axis-LosPinosSouth

go back at least 6 hours.

[Liberty Belle]

8. It's a monster fire now - 4,234 acres. Unconfirmed reports of burn injuries and homes destroyed,

per scanner traffic.

The communities of Potrero, Barrett Junction and Tecate remain threatened.


Our reporters on scene report explosive fire behavior; one says it's among the worst she's ever seen in decades of covering wildfires.

[kysrsoze]

9. Two in one day 😑 The Castaic fire is 4,600 acres at last count.

This is not good - the first day of this week-long round of high temps in SoCal.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

11. Potrero is where Erik Prince wanted to build his Blackwater death training camp

But didn't