A rapidly spreading wildfire ignited in the Penasquitos Creek area, located east of Interstate 15 in San Diego, just after 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. By late afternoon, it had expanded to 131 acres, with no containment efforts having been successful so far.
Firefighters were engaged near Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Vista Sorrento Parkway, where flames engulfed a valley bordered by homes. An air attack was promptly initiated, and crews were prepared to safeguard nearby structures, according to reports.
Within just an hour of the fire starting, the response escalated to include four fire engines, seven brush rigs, two helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft from Cal Fire, two bulldozers, and a Type 3 strike team. Meanwhile, local police were managing traffic and implementing road closures in the vicinity.
Evacuation orders were put in place around 3:30 p.m., and a temporary evacuation center was established at Mandel Weiss Eastgate Park, located at 4161 Eastgate Mall.
A resident named Lil Nover expressed concern after witnessing the fire spreading through the canyon. She initially felt reassured but later remarked, “I thought they had it figured out, but just a few minutes ago the whole hillside was on fire. It’s kind of like a false sense of security. All of a sudden, another patch appears.”
Having evacuated with her daughter and cat, Nover shared her experience as authorities continued to investigate the fire’s cause, advising nearby residents to be prepared for evacuation.
By approximately 5:45 p.m., the fire had reached 15% containment. Deputy Chief Eddy noted that crews aimed to halt the fire’s spread within the next hour, working into the night to address hot spots.
This incident follows a timber fire that raged through Big Sur earlier in the week, which ballooned to around 4,000 acres by Wednesday. About 1,000 firefighters were battling this blaze as it threatened homes and tourist destinations.
By that Wednesday afternoon, the Big Sur fire had burned nearly 3,775 acres with only 5% control, primarily affecting areas near homes along Partington Ridge Road. The closure of the area jeopardized Big Sur’s peak tourist season, with the owner of a well-known restaurant stating they lose around $70,000 in sales each day the restaurant remains closed. Other attractions in Big Sur, including the luxury Ventana Inn resort and the Henry Miller Memorial Library, also faced threats from the fire.
