FALLBROOK (CNS) 5:43 p.m. - A 1,000-acre wind-driven wildfire, one of about half- dozen blazes raging through San Diego County today, destroyed about 100 homes in Fallbrook and forced scores of residents to evacuate, authorities reported.
The fire erupted about 4:15 a.m. in the Rice Canyon area, south of Rainbow, according to the state Department of Forestry, or Cal Fire. Over the morning and afternoon, authorities evacuated some 45,000 residents, directing many of them out of the area through nearby Camp Pendleton to the west.
By 2:30 p.m., the flames had crossed the freeway and moved into Fallbrook, where it leveled about 100 structures, officials said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze. A mandatory-evacuation order was issued for the southern reaches of the town in the mid-afternoon.
The cause of the blaze, dubbed the Rice Fire, was under investigation.
