Brush fire in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley forces evacuations

A fast-moving brush fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. Sunday in San Diego’s Penasquitos Creek area, east of Interstate 15, swelling to 131 acres with zero percent containment by late afternoon.

Staging near Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Vista Sorrento Parkway, firefighters immediately launched an aerial attack while crews planned for structure protection as the flames burned in a canyon ringed with houses, reported the Times of San Diego.

Within an hour of the fire starting, response efforts scaled up to include four fire engines, seven brush rigs, two helicopters, fixed-wing Cal Fire aircraft, two bulldozers, and a Type 3 Strike Team, with San Diego police providing traffic control and street closures in the area.

Evacuation orders were issued around 3:30 p.m. for areas near the flames, with a temporary evacuation point established at Mandell Weiss Eastgate Park, 4161 Eastgate Mall.

Authorities are also urging nearby residents to be ready to evacuate, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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