A burning vehicle ignited foliage alongside state Route 67 Friday afternoon, causing a fire that threatened some homes as it spread over rugged, hilly terrain east of Poway.
The blaze, dubbed the Rock fire, erupted near Rockhouse Road in the Ramona area shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire.
Crews were able to hold the wind-blown fire at two acres for a time, but the flames wound up jumping containment lines in the late afternoon and began moving across more open land, the state agency reported.
As of 6:30 p.m., the burn area had grown to 20 acres and was 5 percent contained, Cal Fire said.
Officials lifted an evacuation order for the area, and southbound Route 67 was closed at Archie Moore Road.
Crews fought the blaze on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters.
