Camp Pendleton brush fire burns 250 acres, 15 percent contained

http://www.10news.com/ ^ | October 5, 2013 | Staff

[Whenifhow]

CAMP PENDLETON - Crews are working to put out a brush fire that has burned about 250 acres and is about 15 percent contained.

The fire was reported at about 12:45 p.m. in the De Luz Canyon area – near the middle of the base – about one mile west of the De Luz housing area and near Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

A fire chief on base told 10News about 225 firefighters are fighting the blaze along with air support, which includes a DC-10, a C-130, six air tankers and three strike teams.

Cal Fire Capt. Nick Schuler said the fire is burning to the east and north and that Fallbrook is not threatened at this time. He added that firefighters are on the part of De Luz Road that goes onto the base to maintain a perimeter to prevent it from going into Fallbrook.

As of about 7 p.m., Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton has been fully evacuated and closed, according to Sonja Hanson, a spokeswoman for Navy Medicine West.

Hanson said five patients were taken to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside. She added that 17 patients were sent to Naval Medical Center San Diego, near Balboa Park.

Portions of the O'Neill Heights housing were evacuated as a precaution. More than 200 people were sent to the Paige Fieldhouse Gym, which has been set up as an evacuation center, according to Maj. Pundel, who is with Camp Pendleton public affairs.

snip

There is no word yet on what caused the fire. Pundel says there was no training going on in the area where the fire started.

[Whenifhow]

PHOTOS: Camp Pendleton brush fire (mobile users: http://bit.ly/18FtgjH)

[Whenifhow]

Evacuations Ordered at Camp Pendleton Amid Brush Fire

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Red-Flag-weekend-fires-october-226598471.html#ixzz2guGmGue9

Brush fire at Camp Pendleton forces housing evacuation

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brushfire-at-camp-pendleton-forces-housing-evacuation-20131005,0,1919255.story

[MeshugeMikey]

hmm lets see...

a fire on a military base....with no known causes?

JIHADISTS??...or Regime Facilitators?

[Fiji Hill]

Atr sunset, I saw a gray cloud stretching across the southern horizon and knew it had to be a brush fire in the Santa Ana Mountains down toward the coast. We’ve had a Santa Ana wind—an east wind from the desert—since yesterday; perfect brush fire weather.

[fini]

I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in the 1980s and all fires that occurred (usually from training) were allowed to burn unless it would damage facilities. And those areas that did not get burnt after about 5 years were subjected to a controlled burn. We were told that fires were part of the local environment (lightning strikes) to a degree that some plant seeds wouldn't germinate unless they were scorched.

Remember that Camp Pendleton only gets rain for about two months a year, so fires are pretty easy to start.

My weapons platoon had a machine gun shoot and we started a fire the burned for 4-5 days and burnt about a third on the impact area (the area where your live ordinance is supposed to land). When we started the fire (caused by tracer rounds), we reported the fire. No one ever thought a thing about the fire, it was just a part of normal life.

[BBell]

I was stationed on Camp Pendleton in the 80's too. Hated it but it was better then Lejeune. I was in a weapons company but we were always made to pull out our tracers before firing our .50 cals. However, since the rounds were armor piercing incendiary it was in inevitable that a fire or two would spark up. Range fires were left alone for obvious reasons but they would use us occasionally to help keep the fires away from structures.

BTW, I hated those firebreaks all over Pendleton. They were a bitch to hump on, especially when they were freshly plowed.

[The KG9 Kid]

We started many fires there. Pop-up illums, grenades, .50 APIT sparking off relics, and even from a smoke grenade once. Pendleton lights on fire all by itself practically.

[Chainmail]

*Sigh*. It's obvious that you haven't been anywhere near Camp Pendleton:

1. It's the last piece of original California coastline left between Tijuana and Santa Barbara.

2. The center area is devoted to impact areas/ranges where the natural brush and small oaks grow just like they have for thousands of years.

3. Natural brush and small oaks are really flammable. It doesn't take much during the hot, dry months to get a big blaze going.

4. Impact areas receive lots of munitions that can ignite fires immediately or sometime later (like White Phosphorus).

No Jihadi conspiracies here - just the usual for good old Camp P.

[ridesthemiles]

Are the wild buffaloes still there??