VALLEY CENTER, Calif. — Firefighters reached 100% containment Sunday on a wind-driven wildfire that started Friday, swept through a rural neighborhood in Valley Center, blackened 37 acres, destroyed a home and forced evacuations.
Last updated: Sunday, October 27 at 6 p.m.
Acres burned: 37
Containment: 100%
Location: Near Miller Lane and Cole Grade Lane in the Valley Center area
Start date: Friday, October 25 | Approx. 1:20 p.m
Cause: Not known
Evacuations/Shelter in place: None
Road closures: None
Structures Impacted: 3 outbuildings have been destroyed and 1 residential structure has been damaged
Animal Assistance: Call the County's Department of Animal Services at 619-236-2341.
Twitter Hashtags: #MillerFire
An engine will patrol the fire Monday, according to the Calfire-San Diego Twitter page.
The blaze broke out for unknown reasons about 1 p.m. Friday amid hot,arid and gusty Santa Ana conditions in the area of Cole Grade Road and Miller Lane, about three miles west of Harrah's Resort Southern California, Cal Fire said.
Within 90 minutes, the flames had scorched about 10 acres as crews battled the flames on the ground and aboard firefighting helicopters and airplanes, the state agency reported.
The blaze, dubbed the "Miller Fire,'' destroyed one home and three outbuildings while spreading through heavy vegetation between residences south of Valley Center High School, officials said.
As crews worked to corral the flames, deputies cleared residents out of homes on various roads in the area, including Ava Lane, Cole Grade Road, Cole Grade Lane, Cool Valley Road, Coyote Run, Little Quail Run, Puma Trail, Saddleback Road, Villa Sierra Road and Wilhite Lane.
Authorities also closed Cole Grade Road to through-traffic at Miller Lane, Oak Glen Place and Valley Center Road.
At about 7:45 p.m., evacuation orders remained in effect for all of Terrace View Lane, the area west of Cool Valley Highlands Road, and the area north of Puma Trail.
An evacuation center for those displaced by the fire was established at Valley Center Community Hall, 28246 Lilac Road. That shelter was closed when the American Red Cross opened a shelter at 9 p.m. at 28102 N. Lake Wohlford Road in Valley Center.
