A fast-moving wildfire spread across hundreds of brushy open acres Monday in the rural southeastern reaches of San Diego County, prompting evacuations of back-country homes as ground and airborne crews worked to quell the flames.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons about 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of La Posta Road and Old Highway 80 in Campo, just south of Interstate 8 and about five miles west of Golden Acorn Casino, according to Cal Fire.
Within 90 minutes, authorities had issued evacuation orders for some areas nearest the burn zone and advised residents of other adjacent locales to prepare to clear out of the homes on short notice. A shelter for the displaced was in operation at the casino in the 1800 block of Golden Acorn Way.
As of shortly after 6:30 p.m., the flames had blackened an estimated 350 acres, according to Cal Fire. By that point, firefighters — who were attacking the blaze on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters — were making good progress toward getting the flames under control, the state agency reported.