CAMP PENDLETON — Firefighters continued battling a wildfire Tuesday that has burned more than 1,100 acres on and around Camp Pendleton, marking the second major brush fire on the military installation in less than a week.
The Mateo Fire erupted shortly before 2 p.m. Monday in the northwestern portion of the base near San Mateo Creek and quickly spread into the Cleveland National Forest and the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the blaze had charred 1,183 acres and was 40% contained, according to fire officials.
Nearly 500 firefighters were assigned to the incident. Authorities said the fire has not threatened homes, military facilities or other infrastructure.
The fire has spread through steep canyon terrain containing heavy fuels and dense vegetation. Crews were expected to continue building and reinforcing containment lines overnight while conducting direct suppression efforts where conditions allowed.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Mateo Fire comes less than a week after a separate 560-acre brush fire burned near Marine Memorial Golf Course and along the Oceanside border. That blaze prompted the evacuation of the golf course and generated smoke advisories for nearby communities before firefighters halted its forward progress and achieved full containment Friday morning.
No injuries or structural damage have been reported in either fire.
