A wildland fire by the U.S.-Mexico border near Potrero has jumped from five acres to 1,500 acres in a matter of hours. As the flames spread, the City of Potrero is being evacuated.
As of 11 p.m. the fire was five percent contained, four outbuildings have been destroyed and one firefighter has been injured.
Homes along Highway 94 between Emory Road and Plaskon Road are also being evacuated. Highway 94 is closed from Highway 188 to Potrero Valley Road.
The City of Potrero is 45 miles east of San Diego. When the US Census Bureau did their American Community Survey back in 2014, they estimated the total population was 693 people and there were 207 units.
Schools in the Mountain Empire Unified School District will be closed Monday, the district confirmed around 8 p.m. Sunday.
Evacuees from other temporary evacuation shelters are being directed to Campo Elementary School, which will be open overnight. It is located at 1654 Buckman Springs Road.
“As we came out of Potrero there was fire on both sides of the road so I guess it was a good thing we got out when we did,” evacuee Andy Lindsay said at the evacuation location on Sheridan.
Back in 2007 Lindsay spent six days in an evacuation center during the Harris Fire. “Hopefully we won't be here for five or six days like we were last time,” he said.
Mary Hall was working at the library when she was told to evacuate. She grabbed some cats wandering around as she left, and is now waiting at the evacuation center. “I am nervous about the state my home is in right now,” she told NBC 7.
Additional temporary evacuation points were set up at the Campo Community Center, at 300 Sheridan Rd. and Dulzura Community Center at 16985 State Route 94.
The fire broke out Sunday morning around 11:30 a.m. near Highway 94 and Highway 188, north of Tecate, Mexico, and west of Campo.
At first, Cal Fire crews reported the fire at three to five acres with a slow rate of spread, not threatening any structures.
The fire grew to 900 acres by 6 p.m., jumped Highway 94 and was heading southeast toward Potrero, threatening structures.
In 2007, the Harris Fire burned more than 90,000 acres in the same area, killing one person and badly burning another. The fire also destroyed 253 homes.
Sunday night the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire.
The FMAG also enables local, state and tribal agencies to recover eligible costs.
The fire comes during a day of record-breaking heat across San Diego County.
The closest weather station to the fire is in Potrero, slightly northeast of the blaze. In Potrero, the weather is hot and dry but not too windy, Bledsoe said. It is currently 104 degrees with a 10 percent relative humidity and winds at 7 miles per hour from the west.
The National Weather Service (NWS) says an excessive heat watch will be in effect for parts of San Diego County and Imperial Valley, including valleys, mountains and deserts, from Sunday morning through next Thursday evening.
Communities that will feel the heat the most include: El Cajon; Santee; La Mesa; Poway; Pine Valley; Julian; Escondido; San Marcos; Lake Arrowhead; Big Bear.
No other information was immediately available.
Check back for updates on this breaking news story. If you have photos or videos of the fire, please send them to isee@nbcsandiego.com.
Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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