One dead, 17 injured in East County wildfire
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Shortly before 7 p.m., Cal Fire said that the Harris fire had two fronts. The southern head was burning past Barrett Lake Road south of state Route 94, and the northern head was burning toward Mother Grundy peak. It was 5 percent contained, officials said.
The blaze began about 9:30 a.m. east of Harris Ranch Road and north of state Route 94, about 70 miles east of San Diego. The cause is under investigation.
One structure was destroyed by noon, and officials ordered the evacuation of 100 homes and other structures on Potrero Park Road to the south and the area north of state Route 94, west of Harris Ranch Road and east of Potrero Valley Road.
By 4:30 p.m., the fire had moved from Potrero toward Dulzura. Cal Fire Capt. Matt Streck said he had seen several homes that had been destroyed.
“We are having a hard time staying ahead of it,” Streck told KGTV, Channel 10.
By 5:30 p.m., five helicopters, five air tankers, 45 engines and about 300 firefighters were battling the blaze, Cal Fire spokeswoman Audrey Hagen said.
Four firefighters – three men and a woman – were injured when their engine was engulfed by flames, Cal Fire officials said about 2 p.m. The location and time of the incident was not immediately available. A civilian was also burned.
Officials said the victims were flown to the burn center at UCSD Medical Center. Of the five victims, two were being treated in the burn center, two were in intensive care and one was in the emergency room, a hospital spokeswoman said.
About 5 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Phil Brust said that 698 East County residents in the fire's path had received reverse-911 calls telling them to prepare to evacuate. The notification area is 425 square miles and encompasses the area from Barrett Lake south to the U.S.-Mexico border and from state Route 94 and Emery Road west to Otay Mountain Truck Trail.