A fast-growing wildfire has broken out in San Diego, causing mass evacuations and damaging homes.
The fire was first reported in the College Area neighborhood shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, and quickly spread to more than 100 acres by 3:45 p.m. local time.
No injuries or deaths were reported in the hours after the fire started, but emergency services are in the early stages of containing the fire and the extent of the damage is unclear.
Several neighborhoods and a number of schools were evacuated Thursday afternoon, while crews from multiple agencies were deployed.
A fast-growing wildfire has broken out in San Diego, prompting mass evacuations and damaging homes as dark clouds fill the sky
The fire grew to more than 40 hectares after breaking out in an area full of old, dry palm trees that quickly caught fire and spread before building momentum to jump over a road.
Early images of the fires showed the skies above San Diego filled with dark smoke as the wildfire continued to spread across the area.
Residents included helicopter crews, who dropped water and fire retardant material on the inferno from above.
The original point of the fire was tracked to an area full of old, dry palm trees that quickly caught fire and spread before building momentum to jump over a road, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Monica Munoz.
said a resident NBC San Diego that although the fires are still in their early stages, they have already caused significant damage.
“It looks like a war zone here,” they told the newspaper. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before. From SDSU I could see the very dark smoke and some flames, but I didn’t realize how catastrophic it was.”
Munoz said around 3pm local time that she was “confident” firefighters would get the fire under control, adding: “I feel like we have control over it.”
Early images of the fires showed the skies above San Diego filled with dark smoke as the wildfire continued to spread across the area
Crews from multiple agencies were deployed to control the fire, including helicopter units that dropped water and fire retardant material on the inferno from above.
The San Diego Fire Department said it was going door-to-door throughout the area Thursday afternoon to evacuate residents.
A resident who fell into the evacuation zone said he saw the fire sweeping through the area but said he wasn’t concerned.
“People know what to do here because this is an ever-present danger,” he told NBC San Diego, citing the routine wildfires that ravage California’s dry coastline almost every year.
“They knew they had to go next door and get their neighbors out. We have some elderly people here and a lot of pets, so we got the elderly out, got the pets out and moved them to a safe place.”