OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) – A brush fire at a nature preserve in Oceanside caused minor damage to a home and threatened several other homes and businesses on Sunday afternoon.
At around 2:23 p.m., fire crews from Oceanside and Camp Pendleton were called to an area near the intersection of Frazee Road and Mission Avenue known as Talone Lake due to reports of flames and thick smoke.
Oceanside Fire Department officials said the response forced the closure of the intersection, as well as the closure of state Route 76 between Frazee Road and College Boulevard.
As crews began to contain the fire, another fire about 200 yards into the vegetation began to grow and led to flying embers. Additional fire crews were called to the scene as the blaze quickly charred more brush in the area.
A nearby residential neighborhood and shopping center on College Boulevard were evacuated because of the embers, some of which caused damage to the outside of one home and burned a cardboard storage bin behind a Wal-Mart store, fire officials said.
“It was just filled with smoke; we could see black smoke barreling out of it. You couldn’t really see down the street," said Courtney Simoes, a resident in the area.
Officials noted crews had difficulty navigating through dense, overgrown brush to access the burning areas.
"Getting through the muck to get to the fire was difficult for crews and the thickness of the vegetation prevented them from making fast forward progress," said Oceanside Fire Department Battalion Chief Blake Dorse.
With the help of Cal Fire aerial water drops, crews on the ground stopped the fire’s forward rate of spread at about 21 acres burned after a 2-and-a-half hour firefighting effort.
As of Monday morning, officials said the fire was 60 percent contained. Some crews are going to monitor the scene over the next 1-2 days for any potential hotspots.
No injuries were reported.
Officials said they believe the fires were caused by homeless, but they added it's too early to determine whether they were lit intentionally or from cooking equipment being used.
One person was initially detained and questioned regarding the fire but was not arrested and eventually released, officials said.
UPDATE - 5:10 pm
— Oceanside Police (@OceansidePD) July 10, 2023
SR-76 is closed between Frazee Rd and College Blvd until further notice.
Please continue to stay clear of the area until further notice.#MissionIC
