A cross-border brush fire that erupted Monday in remote, rugged terrain near Tecate Peak continued spreading Tuesday, scorching hundreds of open acres but posing no structural threats as ground and airborne crews worked to contain the flames.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, roughly 24 hours after erupting near Marron Valley Road in Dulzura, the blaze 30 miles southeast of downtown San Diego had blackened an estimated 250-300 acres on the northern side of the U.S.-Mexico line and charred at least twice that amount of land in Mexico, according to Cal Fire.
Video shot by Sky Ranger 7 showed an enormous plume of smoke and ash looming over the landscape.
Ground crews had to labor over a rocky, mountainous landscape while battling the blaze along with personnel in air tankers and water-dropping helicopters, said Mike Cornette, a fire captain with the state agency.
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the burn zone remained fully uncontained, Cal Fire reported.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Check back here for updates on this breaking-news story — Ed.