SANTEE, Calif. — Cal Fire reports that the spread of the Chaparral Fire in Santee has been stopped at 36 acres. Fire crews will remain on scene for several hours to mop-up and finish containment.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department says anyone who evacuated their home due to the fire can now safely return home and the temporary evacuation point at Santana High School is now closed. Northbound Cuyamaca Street at Mollie Lane has been reopened.
The brush fire blackened open swaths of land near the Carlton Hills neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, prompting scattered evacuations but causing no reported structural damage or injuries.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons about 1:30 p.m. off Chaparral Drive and Cuyamaca Street in Santee.
Crews said the brush fire was kept at a sizable distance from the homes at the bottom of the hill. The fire was at the top of the hill and was mostly a terrain driven fire as the winds were mild.
The fire fight at one point was airborne with ASTREA making water drops on the Chaparral Fire.