Editor’s note: This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
Ground and air crews continue to battle a wildfire that sparked Tuesday near El Monte Park in Lakeside. Evacuation orders were issued for a rural area north of Blossom Valley, according to Cal Fire.
Evacuation orders issued
The evacuation orders cover areas north of El Monte Road, south of Willow Road, east of Mountain Valley Place, El Monte Road, Hazy Meadow Lane, and west of El Monte Road. See an evacuation map here.
A temporary evacuation point is set up at the Walmart on Camino Canada,13487 Camino Canada, El Cajon.
For those under evacuation orders with pets or livestock, the San Diego County Animal Services is assisting with animal evacuations from the Monte Fire. "If your home is in harm’s way, please evacuate your livestock to the Dianne Jacob Equestrian Center, 1055 Moreno Ave. in Lakeside," the agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Brenna Drake’s ranch was near where the fire started.
“I saw the fire started. I was working from home, and somebody was driving by and they started honking. And I looked outside, and I saw the flames," Drake said. "So I called 911, immediately got out and started trying to get a hose and realized that it wasn't going to happen. So I started evacuating my horses down to the other side of my property.”
The 'Monte Fire'
The fire started around 2:40 p.m., Tuesday, and Lakeside Fire Protection District and San Diego County Fire responded.
As of Thursday, June 19, the blaze, dubbed the Monte Fire, had charred an estimated 1,048 acres and was 25% contained, Cal Fire reported. There was no reported structural damage, according to the state agency.
“Any time you have steeper slopes, a fire is going to tend to move faster upslope — uphill than it will on level ground,” Cal Fire Capt. Robert Johnson said. “That is going to pose its own set of challenges for firefighters. The fire is going to be topography, slope-driven. It's gonna be faster up that slope than it would if the fire was on level ground.”
Injuries reported
Over 400 personnel have been assigned to the fire, according to Cal Fire. Johnson said three firefighters were injured. The status of their injuries is unknown.
“Of that hundred firefighters, that includes firefighters from the air in our aerial assets, including the fixed wing air tanker, as well as the rotor wing helicopters, water dropping helicopters, as well as including ground resources — fire engines, water tenders, bulldozers and hand crews,” he said.
Health impacts
The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District issued a smoke advisory for East San Diego County on Wednesday.
The agency advised the blaze could lead to unhealthy atmospheric conditions in communities surrounding the wildfire, including Alpine, Blossom Valley, Ramona, San Diego Country Estates and around Barona Casino.
"If you are near the affected communities and smell smoke it is advised that you limit physical/outdoor activity. If possible, stay indoors to limit your exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone, especially those residents with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children," the advisory states.
What to pack in an emergency kit:
- A 3-day supply of non-perishable food & 3 gallons of water per person
- A map with at least 2 evacuation routes
- Necessary prescriptions or medications
- A change of clothes & extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
- Extra car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks
- A first aid kit & sanitation supplies
- A flashlight & battery-powered radio with extra batteries
- Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
- Pet food & water
Always have sturdy shoes and a flashlight near your bed, ready for sudden night evacuations.
If time allows, consider adding:
- Valuables that are easy to carry
- Family photos and irreplaceable items
- Personal computer data on hard drives and disks
- Chargers for cell phones and laptops
Source: CalFire
