OCEANSIDE — Firefighters extinguished a brush fire that scorched 3.5 acres of terrain near the Oceanside Municipal Airport on Monday, which prompted evacuation orders and warnings, including one that affected the San Diego Humane Society.
Firefighters responded shortly after 10 a.m. Monday to the brush fire in the 1000 block of West Airport Road, west of Benet Hill Road.
The evacuation orders and warnings that were issued in areas north of state Route 76, the airport, and the San Luis Rey River were lifted Monday afternoon and residents were allowed to return to their homes.
Among those impacted by the fire was the Humane Society, which evacuated its campus, including the 116 animals housed there and the 30 staff members who work there.
“Everything is OK now. We had to evacuate our airport location, but all of the animals have been returned,” SDHS spokeswoman Nina Thompson told City News Service.
There were two dogs and two reptiles among the mostly cats, kittens, rabbits and guinea pigs that were moved out of the facility for about an hour before being allowed back, according to Thompson.
“This goes to show how important it is for everyone with pets in the community to have a plan to move animals to safety with two weeks of food and medicine,” Thompson said.
No structures were damaged in the fire and no injuries were reported. A cause of the fire was not released.
