Steep, rocky terrain made it challenging to battle the fast-moving Creelman brush fire, but at 60% contained as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday firefighters are confident they can overcome the blaze, fire officials said.
Cal Fire Capt. Michael Cornette said the crew is expected to continue battling the fire through today, tonight and into tomorrow.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said about squashing the fire that reached across 347 acres of Ramona. “There’s potential for this to spread, but we have enough resources in place to fully contain this fire.”
Cornette said the temperature today could reach nearly 100 degrees. Fire crews are prepared to build containment lines, reinforce the line they already put in, and attempt to extinguish the hot spots so it’s safer for evacuated residents to go back home, he said.
Just over 1,000 people were affected by mandatory evacuation orders plus an unknown number of people were affected by warnings to leave their homes, he said. Cornette suggested downloading the Genasys Protect app which provides real-time evacuation notifications.
The Red Cross opened an overnight shelter at Olive Peirce Middle School. Ramona Rodeo took in horses and other large animals that had been evacuated.
As of 11:30 a.m. all evacuation orders had been lifted, he said. However, road closures are currently in effect at Spangler Peak and Oak Springs roads and only residents of these streets are able to enter at this time, he added.
“You never know if the fire could flare up again, but we are in a much better spot than we were yesterday,” he said.
No fire-related injuries have been reported yet, Cornette said, but one accessory dwelling unit was destroyed.
“Damage inspectors are doing an assessment today to see what else has been damaged or destroyed,” he said, adding that an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
A CalFire plane flying over the Creelman fire in Ramona on July 22, 2026. (Stephanie Ogilvie)
Cornette said there were 16 aircraft on duty to extinguish the Creelman fire yesterday. They included two air attack aircraft which are air traffic control type aircraft, eight air tankers and six helicopters, two of which were night-flying aircraft.
The air response included a C-130 aircraft capable of dropping 4,000 gallons of retardant, and a new Firehawk at the Ramona Air Attack Base that can carry 1,000 gallons of water, he said.
“Today, three aircraft are on standby that are currently not needed,” he said Thursday morning.
The Creelman fire marched through Simon County Reserve as it headed toward San Diego Country Estates, a community of more than 5,000 homes.
Homeowner Randy Waitman watches as a CalFire dozer breaks through his gate and fence in order to create a fire break near his home during the Creelman fire in Ramona on July 22, 2026. (Stephanie Ogilvie)
Randy Waitman, a resident of Ryland Homes in Rancho San Vicente next to the Estates, said he gave access to a bulldozer through his backyard.
Waitman said he watched as they made headway into dousing the flames.
A Cal Fire firefighter used a bulldozer to create a firebreak near homes in Ramona during the Creelman fire on Wednesday. (Stephanie Ogilvie)
“They did a great job,” Waitman said. “The bulldozer was awesome.”