Update 10:30 p.m.  The fire is now 20 acres and additional resources have been ordered to the scene.

July 7, 2012 (Otay) – Cal Fire is at the scene of a vegetation fire reported at 8:20 p.m. just east of Otay Mesa in Tin Can Canyon, a remote area. The fire is currently 3-5 acres; no structures are in the vicinity. 

Cause is under investigation, said Battalion Chief Nick Schuler.

By Nadin Abbott and Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Multiple fires in Mexico are threatening homes and a penitentiary tonight, ECM has learned.  Late this afternoon, Cal Fire informed ECM that the agency is monitoring the fire in Mexico, which at that time was eight miles from the border.

Alfredo Escobedo, state director of Civil Defense, told ECM that the fires are burning on three fronts. The first is in Loma Toba, near the state jail, about 20 km (12 miles) east of Tecate, a border town. The blaze, which has consumed 100 hectares, has burned to within 10 yards of the jail wall.

June 27, 2012 (Rancho San Diego)  – Two teenagers have been arrested for suspicion of iintentionally setting a vegetation fire yesterday.  The blaze briefly threatened  several units at the Woodbridge Apartments, as well as six vehicles parked along the canyon rim. The wildland fire was reported at 5:30 p.m. yesterday  in the 10800 block of Calle Verde.

Update 11 a.m. -- The fire is now 80% contained. Base officials say live fire operations started the blaze, which has charred 250 acres.

June 27, 2012 (Oceanside) – A brush fire that started yesterday has scorched over 200 acres.  According to the North County Times, the blaze started north of the base and was 15% contained late yesterday. No structures were threatened.

“The fire is still active. As of 5:30 a.m. the Camp Pendleton Fire Dept. did not have a percentage of containment," ECM’s in-house Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna , author of the From the Chief’s Corner  column, advised.  "Today will be warm and the possibility of “flare-ups” may occur and/or intentional “burning out” targeted areas which ‘may’ or may not cause smoke drift."

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

East County Magazine “In - House Fire Chief”

June 21, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Don't assume that someone else has already called. Describe the location of the fire, speak slowly and clearly, and answer any questions asked by the dispatcher.

Here are additional tips to take to protect your home and your family: 

By Miriam Raftery

June 17, 2012 (Lemon Grove)—It was a sweet victory for Lemon Grove Firefighters Saturday night, when driver Joe Lavigne climbed out of his smashed-up vehicle to claim his department’s trophy.  Lemon Grove entered two cars in the Firefighters’ Demolition Derby at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar—and both made it into the final round.

 View our video of the final round by clicking above. 

By Miriam Raftery

Updated June 21, 2012: The Old Fire is now 100% contained at a cost of approximately $2.3 million

June 20, 2012 (Campo) – The Old Fire has charred 995 acres and is now 90% contained.  One residence burned, as well as a recreational vehicle (RV).  Cause remains under investigation, however electrical and lighting have been ruled out. There are no electrical lines near the origin of the blaze on the Campo Indian Reservation, nor were there any reports of lightning, Cal Fire reports.

June 19, 2012 (Campo) – Residents are being allowed back into the area along Old Highway 80 that was evacuated late Sunday afternoon due to the 900 acre “Old Fire” on the Campo Indian Reservation. Church Road at Old Highway 80 and by the 94 is still closed, and residents cannot come back into the location until it is safe to do so.

 Updated June 20, 2012 to include SDG&E's response

By Miriam Raftery

June 18, 2012 (Alpine) – A transformer fire broke out this afternoon at the site of the new Sunrise Powerlink, where the high voltage line had just been energized, Incident Page Network reports. 

“I can confirm that two transformers are on fire,” said Lori Bledsoe, editor at The Alpine Sun.  The transformers are taking power from the underground portion of the Powerlink and transferring the electricity into overhead lines, she added.

UPDATE July 18, 2012:  SDG&E has informed ECM that the Old Fire was not started by Sunrise Powerlink.  “The fire started on June 17 near Miller Valley,” Hanan Eisenman, communications manager, stated in an e-mail received June 18.  “At the closest point, Sunrise is two miles away. Therefore, this has nothing to do with the Sunrise Powerlink.” 

 Cause of the fire, which is now over 820 acres, remains under investigation, per Cal Fire.

Update 10:05 p.m.: This fire is now 450 acres, spreading rapidly. an estimated 150 homes are threatened and the blaze is zero percent contained.  A travel trailer has been destroyed. 

Road closures: Old 80 x La Posta rd, Old 80 x Crestwood, Hwy 94 x Church Rd, and Crestwood  2 miles east of Golden Acorn Casino.  There are 15 engine, 2 handcrews, 1 dozer, 4 airplanes, and 3 helicopters assigned. A shelter has been set up at Golden Acorn Casino.  A Cal-Fire spokesman told ECM there is room in the parking lot for trailered livestock as well. An earlier report that Golden Acorn had evacuated proved incorrect.

 June 11, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Approximately 443 households are without power as a 450-acre wildfire rages in or near their communities, ECM has learned. 

Is it just coincidence that earlier today, electricity was switched on to the 500 kilovolt (kv) Sunrise Powerlink for the first time, as UT San Diego reported today? 

At 2:53 p.m., SDG&E’s website states that “a combination of factors has caused a problem with a substation.” 

According to Cal-Fire, the wildfire, called the Old Fire, began around 3 p.m. 

June 17, 2012 (Campo)—The Golden Acorn Casino in Campo has been evacuated as a precaution, Cal-Fire spokesperson Roxanne Provaznik advises.  The Old Fire is now 300 acres at 7:40 p.m. Winds have shifted, pushing the fire east toward Boulevard. 

“High temperatures and erratic winds are hampering firefighting efforts,” Provaznik advised.

This fire was held at 10 acres. Firefighters will continue to monitor the area during the night.

June 17, 2012 (San Diego) -- A brush fire is burning along northbound I-15 at Friar's Road, burning in a ravine heading east, on the opposite site of a gas plant nearby. CHP has ordered the freeway shut down for 2-3 hours.  Evacuations have been ordered of homes in the area.