SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A canyon brush fire threatened ridge-top homes in Clairemont Tuesday, prompting evacuations as ground and airborne crews worked to subdue the flames.
The blaze erupted at about 5 p.m. Tuesday off the 5200 block of Mount Ariane Terrace, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
“We got a call from our neighbor next door saying that there was smoke in the canyon," said Shannon McGlather who lives in that area. We immediately came out here and saw that it was a canyon. Things got very real, very fast.”
People living on the other side of the canyon felt the same way.
“Scariest thing I’ve ever gone through," said Tracy Hegbloom, who came back from work to her home in the Coral Bay Apartments on Cowley Way when the fire began. “Natural routine is open up my front window because I have a beautiful view of the canyon. All of a sudden, I had seen smoke and I was like, okay, something’s not right.”
Within an hour, the flames from the Ariane Fire had spread over about three open acres, moving toward residences toward the west and south, San Diego Fire spokeswoman Candace Hadley said.
At the height of the fire, it reached a size of five acres. The San Diego Police Department issued an evacuation warning for 500 structures in the 3400 block of Cowley Way, including the complex where Hegbloom lives.
“We’re all obviously on the side of a cliff which, all the vegetation’s dead, so it climbed fast and quick," Hegbloom said.
Crews were on scene within minutes, but just as quickly realized the fight would be a challenge.
“It’s going to be a difficult fire because of the position of it," said Jason Shanley, Fire Information Officer for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. "The brush is really thick. Heavy brush, so, it’s made a lot of progress quick.”
It was a multi-agency effort, with help from crews with the City of Chula Vista, City of Poway, and a couple helicopters from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's ASTREA unit, which actively participates in firefighting operations.
Firefighters said the forward progress has been stopped, and the fire was 90 percent contained as of late Tuesday. The evacuation orders were lifted just before 7 p.m. There were no immediate reports of structural damage or injuries.
However, on a day that wasn't hot or dry, residents are curious about the cause.
“Because it was in, kind of a rural hiking area, so we really don’t know what happened," Hegbloom said.
This also marks at least the eighth fire in and around San Diego County in the last 10 days, and the second on Tuesday alone.
- Mission Fire (Bonsall)
- Border 6 Fire (Jamul)
- Monte Fire (Lakeside)
- Hawick Fire (unincorporated El Cajon)
- Chariot Fire (Bonsall)
- Border 10 Fire (Potrero)
- Stonebridge Fire (Scripps Ranch)
- Ariane Fire (Clairement)
Those affected feel fortunate this Ariane Fire didn't get any worse.
“We actually live right overlooking the canyon," said Benjamin Sharabi, who lives a few units down from Hegbloom with his twin, Sam. "We were packing all our stuff. We were hoping it wasn’t going to come up here. (Fire crews) did a really good job.”
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