Evacuation orders were lifted Monday afternoon near the Oceanside Airport after firefighters quickly jumped on a nearby brush fire, with crews on the ground assisted by two air tankers.
By 1 p.m., the fire was reported to be 80% contained, and all air resources were released from the incident. The fire charred an estimated 3.5 acres.
The fire was reported shortly after 10:15 a.m. north of Airport Road. Investigators believe it ignited near the San Luis Rey riverbed, east of the Capistrano neighborhood and south of Camp Pendleton, Oceanside Fire Division Chief Blake Dorse said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported and no strucutres were lost, but several RVs in a storage lot were damaged, Dorse said.
Dorse said firefighters mounted an aggressive attack when the blaze first sparked, with 19 fire engines from Oceanside and neighboring fire agencies, and two Cal Fire air tankers out of Hemet, quickly jumping on the flames.
“We kind of throw as many resources on it with the intent to keep it small,” Dorse said.
The city of Oceanside said on X that the fire was west of Benet Hill Road and that evacuations were being done “for safety” from homes near the airport and the Prince of Peace Abbey. By 12:15 p.m., those orders had been lifted, Oceanside police said.
The fire prompted the San Diego Humane Society to evacuate its facility located near the airport. “We are moving everyone to our location at 2905 San Luis Rey Road in Oceanside,” the organization said on X.
According to a Genasys Project map, the evacuation area had been north of state Route 76, including the airport, the San Luis Rey River bed and the residential neighborhood to its north. Those orders were downgraded to warnings.
Evacuation warnings also had been issued to sites east of the San Luis Rey River, stretching east to Douglas Drive and north to Pala Road, according to Genasys. Those also were lifted, police said.