RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) — A vegetation fire burned hundreds of acres and threatened homes in the San Diego Country Estates area of Ramona on Wednesday, forcing residents — including those with livestock — to evacuate.
According to Cal Fire, the fire started on the 300 block of Creelman Lane in Ramona around 3 p.m.
The blaze has so far scorched 346 acres, but fire activity has slowed significantly, according to Watch Duty. The fire is now 20% contained. The fire is impacting the San Diego Country Estates, according to Watch Duty.
Residents evacuate
For Kiki DeVries, the sight of flames near her home set off a familiar and urgent routine.
“Well I was in my upstairs bedroom and it got dark and I could see the flames on Spangla Peak. So this is my third evacuation so, I know I had to get out quickly,” DeVries said.
DeVries quickly gathered her belongings and other valuables before loading up her animals.
“My horse sitter called and said there’s another hore down the street can you take that one too? So we loaded the horses and my dog and my go bag and the cats and I left,” DeVries said.
DeVries, her dog Holly, her two cats, and her horses Wink and Missy made it safely to the large animal evacuation site at the Rodeo Grounds.
Cal Fire San Diego Captain Mike Cornette described how quickly the fire grew.
“The fire rapidly expanded to 314 acres over the course of a couple hours,” Cornette said.
The fire broke out not far from the Ramona Air Attack Base, which recently received significant upgrades to its firefighting resources. Cornette said those improvements made a difference.
“I think the upgrades we just put in place at Ramona are highlighted by this fire. We’ve expanded out fleet to five aircraft at Ramona, we;’ve upgraded our retardant mix plant. So all of those things have greatly in the fire fight that we’ve seen today,” Cornette said.
For DeVries, the experience is a reminder that living in a fire-prone community means always being prepared.
“I think people who just move here maybe don’t know that. But anybody whose been through the last two fires they do that,” DeVries said.
Evacuation orders
Evacuation orders have been issued for zones SDC-1242, SDC-1243, SDC-1244, SDC-1245, SDC-1247. Evacuation warnings have been issued for zones SDC-1166, SDC-1167, SDC-1241, SDC-1246, SDC-1248, SDC-1249. Click here to see the evacuation map.
Evacuation orders have been lifted for zones SDC-1168 and SDC-1169.
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at Ramona High School at 1401 Hanson Lane, Ramona, CA 92065. Large animals can be taken to the Ramona Rodeo at 421 Aqua Lane, Ramona, CA 92065.
The American Red Cross has opened an overnight shelter for evacuees at Olive Pierce Middle School.
Road closures
The closures at San Vicente at Wildcat Canyon Road, San Vicente Road at Warnock Road and Old Julian Road at Vista Ramona Road have now been lifted.
🚧🚧🚧Traffic Closure🚧🚧🚧
July 22, 2026 | 8:25 PM
Due to the #Creelman Fire 🔥. The following closures are still in place:
310 Creelman Lane
Vista Ramona Rd @ Arena Way
Open View Rd @ Arena Way
Arena Way @ Scarberry Rd
San Vicente Rd @ Arena Way
The following closures… pic.twitter.com/9gAdgWdzyU
— CHP El Cajon (@CHP_El_Cajon) July 23, 2026
The closures for Vista Ramona Road at Arena Way, Open View Road at Arena Way, Arena Way at Scarberry Road and San Vicente at Arena Way are still in place.
Smoke advisory
A smoke advisory has also been issued for Eastern San Diego County and areas around the San Diego Country Estates.
This is a developing story. ABC 10News will continue to keep you updated as soon as we receive more information.