Brush fire near El Monte Park in Lakeside triggers evacuation order

LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — A brush fire ignited on El Monte Road east of Yucca Drive in Lakeside Tuesday afternoon, triggering an evacuation order for the nearby area, according to San Diego County's emergency alert website.

As of 7 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire was roughly 340 acres in size and 10% contained. It initially ignited a little before 3 p.m. and grew to over 200 acres within an hour.

Firefighters from the Lakeside Fire Protection District and San Diego County Fire were some of the first on scene.

A public information officer for Lakeside Fire told an ABC 10News reporter on the scene that the fire was roughly 300 to 400 acres in size because it hit a ridge with a lot of dry brush, allowing it to proliferate as it climbed the slope.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for the areas shown on the map below:

Cal Fire says the fire has a moderate rate of spread and has the potential to "be an extended attack incident."

The county says the temporary evacuation point has been moved to the Walmart Supercenter at 13487 Camino Canada in El Cajon. The original evacuation point was El Monte Park, but first responders decided to relocate it.

According to the county, an evacuation order means:

• There is extreme danger in your area.
• You must leave now.
• Do not wait.
• Contact your neighbors and share information.

The county recommends downloading the Genasys Protect app to stay up to date on potential evacuations in your area.

At around 7:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said Lake Jennings Park Road at El Monte Road and Willow Road at Omas Road had reopened to the public; however, El Monte Road at Omas Road was restricted to residents, while Yucca Road at El Monte Road remained closed.

Sky 10 flew above the fire for an aerial view of the blaze — see it for yourself below.

This is a developing story. ABC 10News has sent a reporter to the area to gather more information.