A fire of unknown origin raced up a steep, brushy hillside between Interstate 8 and University Heights today, forcing evacuations of homes and businesses but causing no reported structural damage.
Within an hour, crews on the fire lines and aboard a water-dropping helicopter had largely stopped the spread of the flames. However, an SDFD dispatcher said at 4:30 p.m. that flames have flared up again on the east side of the fire.
The blaze began spreading off the 400 block of Camino del Rio North in Mission Valley shortly before 2:30 p.m. and spread rapidly up the steep slope to the south, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Police and emergency personnel cleared people out of a hotel and several other commercial structures at the base of the hill and evacuated homes at the top, around Madison Avenue and Massachusetts Street, a dispatcher said.
The dispatcher said a strike team is in place to protect homes at the top of the hill in University Heights.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
