ESCONDIDO, CA (KGTV) — Multiple San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews have been working through the night to extinguish a large fire involving hundreds of rolled and stacked hay bales in San Pasqual Valley, fire officials confirmed.
The fire, located at 15750 Old Milky Way, was first reported around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday night, prompting an immediate response.
Residents in the surrounding area should expect to see smoke lingering into Sunday morning, fire officials said. Fire officials also told 10news this morning that smoke would be heavy in the area because of the cold air.
Cal McGaugh lives in Escondido. Sunday, Cal noticed something different during his morning routine.
"Well, I got up at 7:30 and just happened to go outside in the back and notice this really pungent, acrid smell," said McGaugh. "I thought at first it might be like some kind of electrical fire. It didn't smell like regular smoke. And then, I don't know how it hit me, but I looked out over the lake and it was hazy and it didn't really look like fog type of haze."
What he saw, and smelled, were 400 rolled bales of hay that went up in flames in an open field on Old Milky Way in San Pasqual Valley.
"Fire started approximately 11:20 Saturday night and we cleared approximately 11:00 a.m. this morning, so units were on scene about 12 hours," said Jack Middleton, the battalion chief for San Diego Fire Rescue. "We used bulldozers from Cal Fire to assist our firefighting efforts. These weren't your standard rectangular size, small sized hay bales. These were rolled, like I said, approximately 6 ft by 4 ft, so much larger hay bales than what You might see for sale."
San Diego Rescue, Cal Fire, Poway and Escondido Fire Departments helped clear the fire.
But like McGaugh saw, and officials confirmed, smoke remained heavy in the morning because of the cold air.
Smoke molecules move slower and stick around in cold, dense air conditions.
Officials said there were not any evacuations, but McGaugh remembers when he had to leave during the Witch Fire back in 2007, and the smell brought back memories of the past.
"I've been very concerned about wildfires ever since because the weather has changed and now you have to be prepared year round, not just during the Santa Ana season," said McGaugh.
There is currently no threat to nearby structures, and no injuries have been reported.
