DEL MAR — A suburban wildfire that charred roughly 20 open acres near Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, forcing thousands of people from their homes as ground and airborne crews worked to quell the flames, is out today.
Two firefighters were hospitalized with heat exhaustion on Tuesday but have since been released and are recovering at home, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
No structures were damaged in the blaze.
Authorities say a spot fire — near the site of a roughly one-acre vegetation blaze that crews had subdued earlier in the day at approximately 10:30 a.m. — reignited about 3 p.m. outside containment lines near the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Del Mar Scenic Parkway.
At around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, San Diego fire officials said individuals were being ordered to evacuate in the area east of North Torrey Pines Road and west of Interstate 5 between Carmel Valley Road to the south and Del Mar Heights Road to the north.
An evacuation warning was also issued for the Del Mar Heights area. The Del Mar Fairgrounds was designated as a temporary evacuation site.
San Diego Fire spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said during a press conference on Tuesday that by 4:50 p.m., the fire had grown to roughly 19 acres. A plume of smoke was visible over Interstate 5 and most of the neighborhoods in Del Mar.
The Harder family, who live on Via Aprilia, immediately started preparing to leave home after receiving an evacuation notification from authorities.
“We got an evacuation alert on our phone and through a helicopter message,” said 13-year-old Simone Harder. “We’re packing clothes and spraying the rooftop with water. We’re just trying to get ready.”
Simone’s mother, Michelle Harder, said the family of four, including their two rescue dogs, was preparing to spend the night at a hotel.
“We drove past the fire and saw it raging. The sky was gray with thick smoke. It was so bad,” Michelle said.
On nearby Mango Drive, Lisa St. John bundled her three dogs and cat into her car after being told to evacuate. St John urged her husband, who was at work then, not to return home.
“I told him there was no point in coming back, so we’re just waiting,” St. John told The Coast News on Tuesday afternoon. “I drove by the area earlier, but we still couldn’t get back in.”
St. John said she wasn’t sure where the couple would stay if they couldn’t return home.
Others in the area chose to shelter in place and remain home.
Jezabel Boo and her daughter live on Caminito Verdugo and could smell the smoke and hear the helicopters flying overhead, but wanted to wait before making a decision on whether to leave.
“We’re OK,” Boo said. “We’re not in danger, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m responsible for my daughter and pet, so we might go to a friend’s house for a few hours and see after that.”
Another Mango Drive resident, Jen Massara and her family were left unable to leave their house after deciding not to evacuate earlier in the day.
“You can’t get in or out of the neighborhood,” Massara said, realizing something was wrong when her phone started cutting out and smoke started billowing over her roof. “One of my daughters isn’t with me right now, so she will have to stay with a friend until we find out more.”
Massara was full of praise for the firefighters throughout the ordeal.
“They did an amazing job of coming to the rescue,” Massara said.
A temporary shelter for the displaced was in operation in the late afternoon at Del Mar Fairgrounds. Only a few evacuated residents gathered at the Fairgrounds, which was vacant due to the San Diego County Fair being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
According to SDFRD public affairs, as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, ground crews and personnel aboard an air tanker and three water-dropping helicopters had halted the spread of the fire at an estimated 19 acres.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Claire Strong and City News Service contributed reporting.
