A brush fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon quickly burned hundreds of acres, forced evacuations and shut down both sides of Interstate 8 near Campo, Cal Fire officials said.
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The blaze, named the Thorn fire, broke out around 3:45 p.m. in heavy fuels with a moderate rate of spread near Buckthorn Trail and Old Highway 80, just east of the Live Oak Springs community, Cal Fire officials said in a statement posted on X.
By 9:10 p.m., it had spread to 750 acres with no containment, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire officials said three helicopters would be flying through the night to continue supporting crews working to battle the blaze on the ground.
Evacuations were ordered for areas north of Old Highway 80 and I-8 and extended east of McCain Valley Road, including the area near Rough Acres Ranch Airport, according to online mapping from Genasys Protect. Mananitza and Ribbonwood roads run through the evacuation area. The orders expanded shortly after the fire jumped I-8 and continued to spread east.
Some surrounding areas were under evacuation warnings, meaning residents were warned to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
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A temporary evacuation center was set up by the Red Cross at the Golden Acorn Casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way, according to AlertSanDiego.
I-8 was closed between Crestwood and Ribbonwood roads, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was unclear when the freeway would be reopened, the CHP said.
Temperatures in the area were in the low-to-mid 90s around 5 p.m., with winds gusting 20 to 30 mph out of the west and a relative humidity of 20% to 30% — low enough to speed the spread of fire, according to the National Weather Service.
A smoke advisory has been issued for the area, including Live Oak Springs, Boulevard, Tierra del Sol and McCain Valley, according to the county Air Pollution Control District.
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Staff writer Gary Robbins contributed to this report.
