SAN DIEGO — Nearly 200 firefighters were battling a brush fire on Sunday afternoon southeast of Otay Lake that had a moderate "rate of spread" and charred 60 acres of vegetation, Cal Fire officials said.
The fire was initially reported as four separate fires on the west side of the Otay Mountain wilderness area but quickly became one, said Cal Fire Capt. Thomas Shoots. No homes were immediately threatened and no evacuations were requested. The blaze was being called Border 27 fire by the agency.
It was 5% contained as of 1:15 p.m.
After the first crews arrived, officials ordered an additional 10 engines be sent. Six helicopters and multiple fixed-wing aircraft also were assigned to the fire, Shoots said shortly after 12:30 p.m.
Fire officials said the fire was located about 1 1/2 miles south of Otay Lakes Road and that the terrain made it difficult for crews to reach the fire.
It was sending up a lot of smoke, but because of the low cloud cover, smoke was going into the clouds rather than sending up a hugely visible plume.
"We are continuing to add additional ground and air resources," Shoots said. "It is burning pretty good."
Cal Fire officials were working with with Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials because the blaze was either on federal land or adjacent to federal property, he said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
———
