Strong Santa Ana winds pushed a wildfire across critically dry terrain in the Bonsall area early Tuesday, charring more than 80 acres and forcing the evacuation of homes in the path of the fire before firefighters gained the upper hand, officials said.
The Lilac fire — which began north of West Lilac Road, just west of Interstate 15 — was burning in an area where the relative humidity is very low, giving the system more strength. Winds gusted up to 21 mph and were expected to last well into the morning.
Shortly before 10 a.m., Cal Fire reported that crews had stopped the fire’s spread.
The blaze is one of three that broke out in North County before dawn. Firefighters stopped the advancement of the other two fairly quickly.
Around 2,900 people were in areas affected by evacuation warnings and orders early Tuesday.
The Lilac fire burned in a west-southwest direction in a region that has had virtually no rain since last spring. Some structures were damaged although the extent of the loss is unclear and won’t be known until fire officials can take a closer look, Cal Fire officials said.
The wildfire burned near where another fire — also known as Lilac — broke out in December 2017 and charred more than 4,100 acres of land.
Tuesday’s fire ignited in the middle of the night as the region was under a red flag warning as strong Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions combined to heighten fire risks. San Diego Gas & Electric has turned off power to 14,000 customers to help reduce the chances that additional fires will pop up.
There were around 150 firefighters assigned to the blaze, with two night-flying helicopters making water drops.
“We were having pretty strong gusts in the beginning of the fire,” Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornette said. He said SDG&E’s weather map showed peak gusts of 21 mph reported in the Fallbrook area, with sustained winds of 7 mph around 5 a.m.
Sheriff’s deputies fanned out to warn Bonsall residents when the evacuation orders were made, using patrol cars and a sheriff’s helicopter to sound distinctive “hi-low” sirens. Residents also were notified by reverse 911 calls and by deputies going door to door, said sheriff’s Lt. Noah Zarnow.
The evacuation area is west of Interstate 15, south of state Route 76 and east of Vessels Ranch Road, Zarnow said. The rural area has homes on large lots within steep and rocky terrain.
Residents were directed to an evacuation center at the Castle Creek Country Club in Escondido and a county official said about 50 vehicles went there. Evacuees with large animals were told to take them to the Del Mar Horsepark, 14550 El Camino Real, Del Mar; or to CRC Ranch, 43101 Anza Road, in Temecula.
The cause of the three fires is unknown and Cal Fire investigators are trying to determine how the fires ignited.
The first blaze was reported shortly after 12:15 a.m. west of I-15 and north of Highway 76. Called the Pala fire, it burned around 16 acres before its forward rate of progress was halted. Residents in the area were briefly told to evacuate before the order was lifted.
The start of the Lilac fire was reported about a half hour later. A third blaze, dubbed the Riverview fire, was reported near Santa Margarita Drive in Fallbrook shortly after 1:20 a.m. It charred about an acre before crews were able to halt its spread, officials said.
The fires affected traffic in the area. At one point, both directions of I-15 were closed, but all lanes reopened as of 4:45 a.m., according to a California HIghway Patrol dispatcher. State Route 76 at Old Highway 395 was closed to traffic, while a closure was reported on Old Highway 395 at the Lilac Bridge.
About 20 vehicles were waiting in the parking lot at the Castle Creek Country Club evacuation center when Red Cross volunteers arrived at 3 a.m., said volunteer Nat Giraud.
Volunteers handed out coffee and snacks to the people huddled in their cars to stay warm. Most had left by 8:30 a.m. The sky was clear blue with no sign of smoke, and a few club regulars were playing pickleball.
Bonsall resident Frances Smith, who was getting ready to leave the evacuation center to get a motel, said it was the third time she and her husband have had to evacuate their home on Mountain View Road.
“A plane was flying over our house, and they ordered us to leave,” she said. They could see flames in the distance.
They’ve lived in the house 41 years, she said, and they just finished putting in two new bathrooms, a new garage door and other improvements. Her husband is careful about keeping brush cleared for a safety zone around their house, she said.
In 2017 they were evacuated for the previous Lilac fire, and the house of a neighbor across the street burned to the ground. The Smiths spent several days in a motel that year before they returned safely to their home.
Staff writers Phil Diehl and Teri Figueroa contributed to this report.