Firefighters were able to respond quickly to a vegetation fire that started burning in Mission Valley on Thursday afternoon The fire, which burned less than half an acre near the 7600 block of Hazard Center Drive, was first reported around 3:30 p.m. Although the flames generated a small plume of smoke, San Diego Fire Rescue crews were able to rapidly stop the fire’s forward spread before it could do much damage. Firefighters will remain in the area to be certain that all the hot spots have been put out. Check back for updates on this breaking news story — Ed.