600 ACRE FIRE IN MEXICO CLOSE TO U.S. BORDER IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 By Miriam Raftery


Update 7:30 p.m. November 2, 2011- Cal-Fire will continue to monitor this fire through the night, says Cal-Fire Captain Mike Mohler. "Cal-Fire has not crossed over the border," he said. The fire is burning northwest and progress is being made toward containment. 

He had no updates on size, last estimated at 600 acres, but said he will send an update if the fire should cross over into the U.S.

The fire has generated significant smoke across San Diego's east and south county areas; a reader in Imperial Beach reported having difficulty breathing due to heavy smoke late this afternoon.

 

November 2, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- A large fire in Mexico now poses a potential threat to the U.S., Cal-Fire radio indicates. The fire, which is around 600 acres, is putting up a large plume of smoke visible across most of southeast San Diego County. The fire is burning about one mile south of the border.

 

According to the Deerhorn Valley Antler, Chief Kremensky from Cal-Fire says engines are staging and strike teams forming up at the Otay checkpoint.  Upper level winds are burning toward the east; surface winds are blowing west.

   

Be sure to have a portable radio with batteries handy if you live in the southeast portion of the county; SDG&E has sent notices to some residents indicating it may shut off power due to high-fire conditions. Keep cell-phones charged and have a car-charger if possible.

 

The National Weather Service has extended a red flag alert through tonight due to hot, windy conditions and low humidity.

 

Sign up for free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts by email at the top right side of our homepage and also receive a free weekly copy of East County Magazine with in-depth news updates on fires and other important news in our region.  You can also get brief text alerts on your mobile device by following ViejasAlerts on Twitter. We strongly recommend signing up for all three services to make sure you are fully informed at home, at work, and on the road.  


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.