PAUMA VALLEY (CNS) - Crews dousing the smoldering remnants of a roughly 60-acre wildfire near Pala Casino had the burn area 100 percent contained Thursday night.
The non-injury blaze erupted for unknown reasons about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday off the 13000 block of state Route 76 in the Pauma Valley area, according to Cal Fire. Two residents were evacuated from the rural area as the flames began to spread across open terrain, but both were allowed to return home after about 90 minutes.
Within three hours of igniting and sending thick black smoke billowing over the North County, the flames had blackened an estimated 50 acres, Cal Fire said. By then, crews from several area firefighting agencies had the burn area roughly 10 percent contained.
Containment reached 15 percent as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, when fire crews had all active flames in the burn zone extinguished, the state firefighting agency said. It was 40 percent contained as of 6 a.m. Wednesday and 85 percent contained by about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
About 150 firefighters, including crews aboard fixed-wing aircraft and water-dropping helicopters, were deployed at the height of the fire- suppression effort Tuesday afternoon and evening. Roughly 100 firefighters worked to mop up and contain the blaze Wednesday.
It was dubbed the Agua Fire due to its proximity to seasonal Agua Tibia Creek. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
The final acreage of the fire was 59 acres according to Cal Fire San Diego.
