DEER SPRINGS (CNS) - A cluster of brush fires erupted for unknown reasons this afternoon alongside Interstate 15 north of Escondido, blackening about a dozen open acres before crews could subdue them.
The first of the blazes near Deer Springs Road erupted about 1:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire. Two other small patches of flames then began spreading a short distance away and eventually merged with the first one, said Mike Mohler, a fire captain with the state agency.
A fourth blaze, meanwhile, had broken out in the same general area, within a mile of the other one. It wound up growing to about 10 acres before firefighters hemmed it in.
The fires posed no structural threats, Mohler said.
Crews fought the flames on the ground and aboard helicopters. By 3:45 p.m., they had halted the spread of both burn areas. No injuries were reported.
Some of the personnel planned to remain in the area until about 9 p.m.
to douse all remaining hot spots, fully contain the blazes and determined what sparked the fires.
