Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

1,500-Acre Brushfire Burns In Japatul Valley Area

A view of the Japatul Valley from the Santee neighborhood of San Diego County. Sept. 5, 2020.
KPBS Staff
A view of the Japatul Valley from the Santee neighborhood of San Diego County. Sept. 5, 2020.

UPDATE:

The fire has grown to 1,500 acres, according to Cal Fire Information Bureau.

An evacuation order was issued for the areas near Carveacre Road. An updated map on areas ordered to evacuate is available on San Diego County's Emergency Site. Those needing to evacuate can go to Steele Canyon High School at 12440 Campo Road, Spring Valley or Joan MacQueen Middle School at 2001 Tavern Road, Alpine, said a tweet from the San Diego Sheriff.

Advertisement

Read original story:

Firefighters from the Cleveland National Forest and Cal Fire were battling a fast-moving brushfire Saturday that burned about 1,000 acres in two hours in the Japatul Valley area near Alpine.

The fire began at about 3 p.m. off Spirit Trail and Japatul Road and was described early by Cal Fire officials as burning at a dangerous rate of spread and a medium threat to structures.

About 4 p.m., Cal Fire said the community of Carveacre Road was threatened and under evacuation orders. Multiple air and ground resources are on scene and en route.

Area residents are evacuating to Joan McQueen Middle School, 2001 Tavern Rd in Alpine.

Advertisement

About 5 p.m., an evacuation order was issued for all of Lawson Valley. The fire front was one-mile long, according to Southern California Air Operations.

Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles in East County.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.