SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A wildfire erupted several miles north of the U.S.- Mexico border in the San Diego area Thursday, quickly blackening scores of open acres as ground and airborne crews worked to quell the flames amid arid and blustery Santa Ana conditions.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons shortly before 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a remote near Otay Mountain Truck Trail, about a half-mile west of Doghouse Junction in Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, according to Cal Fire.
The blaze spread over steep, rugged terrain as firefighters battled it on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters, said Robert Johnson, a fire captain with the state agency.
Within 90 minutes, the burn area had grown to roughly 140 acres, officials reported.
There were no known structural threats, Johnson said. The blaze has now grown to 566 acres. Containment remains at 0%.
