Update 3:10 p.m.  The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office has issued an additional evacuation order for the following area. The area of the evacuation order is within the following boundaries; Pacific Crest Trail to the south, Buckman Springs Road to the east from Lake Morena Dr. to Morena Valley Road, Moreno Stokes Valley Road (Corral Canyon) at Sky Ranch (Sky Valley Road) to the west and Moreno Stokes Valley Road (Corral Canyon) at Buckman Springs Road  to the east.

New road closure is located at Buckman Springs Road at Old Buckman Springs.

Additional public information regarding the Border Fire can be obtained by calling 2-1-1. Continue to follow updates of the incident on the twitter account  @calfiresandiego.

East County News Service

June 21, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - An update about the Border Fire has been issued.  Lake Morena residents on the Campo/Lake Morena Neighborhood Watch Facebook page have posted that they have received calls and text alerts that a mandatory evacuation has been issued for Lake Morena.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Border Fire, Day 1, by Leon Thompson

June 21,2016 (Lake Morena/Campo) 1:30 p.m. – An evacuation warning has been issued for Lake Morena and Campo, Cal Fire has announced.  Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for Potrero,Forrest Gate, Star Ranch, Cowboy Ranch,Dog Patch and Canyon City.

800 structures remain threatened and 4 outbuildings have been destroyed. Highway 94 is closed west of Buckman Springs to state route 188. The Pacific Coast Trail is also closed to hikers. 

“The fire continues to move to the north and northeast,threatening portions of the Pacific Crest National Scenic trail as well as surrounding communities,” a Border 3 Fire Update issued by Cal Fire states.

By Miriam Raftery

June 21, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Cal Fire has issued an update at 11:32 a.m. advising the Border Fire is holding at 7500 acres, but still only 5% contained. Evacuation orders remain in place for Forest Gate, Star Ranch, Cowboy Ranch, Dog Patch and Canyon City.  The Red Cross has an evacuation shelter set up at Los Coches Creek Middle School at 9669 Dunbar Lane in El Cajon.

June 20, 2016 (Campo)--Campo's  Postmaster has posted the following message on Facebook for those whose mail service was disrupted there today: 

Mail Delivery: Campo/Lake Morena area had partial mail delivery today. Your carriers were pulled back due to the current hazards and for employee safety. There is a possibility the same situation will occur tomorrow. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me at 619-478-5466 or message me. All mail is being held at the Campo Post Office. If anyone has meds they are expecting to be delivered please call so we can help get them to you. Thank you. Stay safe. Please share this. I am also a Campo resident, so I am watching this fire as well. ---Postmaster Cindy

East County News Service

June 20, 2016 (Ramona) --Supervisor Dianne Jacob  posted blisteringr remarks on her Facebook Page today, with the Border Fire raging out of control and forcing evacuations in multiple rural commnities: 

"The following is my statement in response to reports yesterday that United States Forest Service (USFS) air tankers were not utilizing the Ramona Air Attack Base, and instead were flying to San Bernardino in between drops on the Border Fire. The same Next Generation Air Tankers used by CAL FIRE were safely refilling at the Ramona Air Attack Base yesterday.

“The USFS and federal leaders are failing our region and unnecessarily putting lives and property at risk. The Board of Supervisors last summer called on the USFS and the federal government to land their Next Generation Air Tankers at the Ramona Air Attack Base in order to increase the frequency of drops on a wildfire. CAL FIRE has demonstrated that these types of planes can safely use the Ramona airport. Now we need the USFS to demonstrate that public safety is a higher priority than bureaucratic stubbornness. These planes can carry up to 3,000 gallons of retardant and increasing the frequency of drops gives us a better chance of knocking down dangerous wildfires,” Jacob concluded.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of Cal Fire via Twitter

June 20, 2016 (Potrero) -- The Border Fire has charred 1,900 acres and is now 5% contained as of 9 a.m. according to Cal Fire.  The community of Potrero remains under evacuation order. Highway 94 remains closed through the area.

Scanner traffic indicates a second fire has been reported in Mexico close to the Border Fire; we are awaiting confirmation and details.

Mt. Empire School District has announced all schools districtwide will be closed today due to the fire. Three people have been injured including a firefighter. Several outbuildings have burned, per Cal Fire. Hundreds of firefighters from across Southern California are battling the blaze in steep, rugged terrain that has burned in many years and is dry from years of drought during triple-digit heat.

The emergency shelter for today is at Campo Elementary School, 1654 Buckman Springs Road.

NOTE: We have posted a new article with the latest updates on this fast-growing fire.  New updates will be posted here:  http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/border-fire-potrero-now-1500-acres-eva...

Follow us on Twitter at EastCountyAlert for the most timely updates. Please post any info you have in the comments section below our story.  You can email photos to editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Update 8:10 a.m.  Big-rig tow is nearly at the scene. After towing away vehicles, road shutdown will be changed to one-way closure for next 10-12 hours while power line repairs are made, per CHP website. SDG&E will handle the traffic one-way closure.

Update 7:30 a.m. -- The fires are now out.  Two people have been transported to trauma centers with injuries.

June 14, 2016 (Lakeside) -- 6:40 a.m. A SIG ALERT has been issued for a two-vehicle crash on Wildcat Canyon at Willow Road in Lakeside. One vehicle is on its roof, the other 100 feet down an anbankment with people trapped inside. The crash sparked several small brush fires and knocked down power lines, causing an outage to 21 customers with power restoration estimated at 9:30 a.m. per SDG&E.

Lakeside and Heartland Fire are on the scene. 

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

June 8, 2016 (San Diego) -- Brush fires chewed through hillsides from San Diego to Ventura Counties and every county in between, challenging firefighters and making hillside homeowners very nervous this past weekend as a very hot and long brush fire season is now underway.

June 6,2016  (Boulevard) – A wildland fire is burning near the border in Boulevard’s Tierra Del Sol Community, CAL FIRE and County Fire ChiefTony Mecham reports.  The blaze started late this afternoon and is currently about 8 acres, with no structures threatened. It has a moderate rate of spread.

According to CAL FIRE, the fire is off of Zarina Lake Drive in Tierra Del Sol.  However Donna Tisdale, Boulevard Planning Group chair and a resident of Tierra Del Sol, told ECM that the fire appears to be south of the Southwest Powerlink at the south end of Tierra del Sol Road.

East County Alert

June 1, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for inland areas of San Diego and Riverside County due to a strong pressure ridge over the southwest.  Temperatures as high as 108 degrees are forecast in some desert areas, with Borrego Springs expected to reach 103 degrees this weekend and mountain areas forecast to see temperatures close to 80.

East County News Service

May 19, 2016 (San Diego) -- Sagan Industries LLC, a San Diego manufacturer and distributor of consumer water filtration products, has launched its newest product, the Sagan AquaBrick™ Water Filtration System, the company announced.

“The AquaBrick is perfect for outdoor and recreational adventures, emergency preparedness and humanitarian aid,” “said Rick Muir, CEO, Sagan Industries. “We feel honored and privileged to play a part in maintaining the health of people everywhere.”

By Janis Russell

May 5, 2016 (Lakeside) - The California Fire Safe Council held a Wildfire Community Preparedness event, in partnership with the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County and Farmers Insurance, at Barona Creek Golf Club on April 23.   The speakers discussed the severity of the fire situation statewide, emphasized that wildfire risk is now year-round, and gave updates on resources available to help before, during and after a major fire in our region.

Residents urged to prepare for wildfires now

East County News Service

April 20, 2016 (Sacramento) -- With spring now taking hold in California, CAL FIRE is already staffing up for fire season, while focusing the efforts of its crews on preventing large and damaging wildfires. Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but CAL FIRE firefighters are not letting their guard down, instead they are training for another potential busy fire season and working hard to prevent wildfires. Across the State, CAL FIRE has already hired a surge of over 400 additional seasonal firefighters, whose focus includes fire prevention, fuel reduction and defensible space programs.