Jan 21, 2025
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Cal Fire crews are responding to a brush fire that erupted just south of Pala Mesa overnight into Tuesday, prompting evacuations for nearby areas. The fire, called the "Lilac Fire," was first reported just before 1 a.m. in the area of West Lilac Road and Old Highway 395. As of 7 a.m., the fire was at 80 acres with 10% containment and a moderate rate of spread. In an update around 7 a.m., the North County Fire Protection District said a total of 86 residents have been displaced by the evacuation orders and at least two structures have been damaged. The extent of damage to the structures is unknown at this time. However, Cal Fire says crews are making "good progress" towards extinguishing the blaze, with fire activity having decreased significantly throughout the early morning hours. Evacuations have been ordered for nearby areas. A map of the current evacuation alerts can be found below, with red indicating the areas where a mandatory order is in place. (Cal Fire) A temporary evacuation point operated by the Red Cross has been set up at the Castle Creek Golf Course, located at 8797 Circle Dr. in Escondido. The point has snacks, hydration and other resources for those impacted by the fire. A large animal shelter has also been activated for those impacted by the Lilac fire at CRC Ranch at 43101 Anza Rd. in Temecula. Due to the evacuations, all schools in the Bonsall Unified School District have been closed Tuesday. Cal Trans said in an update on X around 6:45 a.m. that the southbound off-ramp to Old Highway 395 has also closed for the firefighting activity. Road closures are also in place along Old Highway 395 from Dulin Road to West Lilac Road, and along Camino del Ray at West Lilac Road. The Lilac Fire was one of several facing fire crews in the area of Bonsall and Fallbrook. The second biggest, the Pala Fire, burned through about 17 acres in the area of Interstate 15 southbound and Stewart Canyon Road. Forward progress on that fire has been halted. The fires come as much of the county's inland areas are under yet another Red Flag Warning this month for critical fire danger, given strong Santa Ana winds, low relative humidity and acute drought conditions. Overnight, some parts of the county saw peak wind gusts hit speeds of about 40 miles per hour to 102 miles per hour in isolated, wind-prone areas, according to the National Weather Service. In the area just east of where the Lilac Fire broke out, peak wind gusts recorded Monday ranged from about 28 miles per hour to upwards of 63 miles per hour, per NWS. Below: FOX 5/KUSI video on what Red Flag Warnings mean. San Diego Gas & Electric placed more than 14,000 customers in the region's backcountry and exurbs under public safety power shutoffs Monday afternoon as the Santa Ana wind event set in — just days after power had been restored following an earlier round of power outages. The utility company says shutoffs could continue through Friday at 5 p.m., while the Red Flag Warning is due to expire at 10 p.m. Tuesday. During that time, an additional 69,000 customers may also see interruptions to their electric service. One couple, Bob and Lisa, who evacuated due to the Lilac Fire said they had already begun preparing to leave by the time fire crews came knocking on their door. "We were about 75 feet from the top of a hill … We could see orange over the back side of the hill and 100-foot high flames," Bob said. Bob noted this is not their first time evacuating their home due to a wildfire, but this one appeared to come closer than ever before. "This one, I think went right over the house," he said. "We're waiting to find out if it's still standing." This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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