FIRES HALTED ALONG I-8 IN EAST COUNTY

By Miriam Raftery and Nadin Abbott

Photos by Daren Sefcik, Jeff Holz, and Delia Cooley

May 3, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Multiple fires along I-8 broke out this morning between East Willows Road and Japatul this morning, as ourViejasAlerts reported earlier.  The fires are believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning catalytic converter from a vehicle.

The largest forced closure of a viewpoint in Japatul and charred 12-14 acres. 

No structures were damaged however one firefighter reportedly suffered a minor injury.

"Thanks, SD Sheriff Department and those that worked so hard to acquire the two fire/rescue helicopters for San Diego!" Delia Cooley wrote in an e-mail to ECM, which included a photo of one of the choppers scooping up water at Palo Verde Lake.

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