CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (KGTV) — A brush fire near Oceanside and Camp Pendleton grew to 560 acres Wednesday, triggering a smoke advisory for several surrounding communities and prompting evacuation warnings and orders before crews brought the blaze under control.
The November Fire broke out around 10 a.m. Wednesday, prompting evacuation warnings for multiple zones and a "Go Now" evacuation order for the Oceanside Municipal Golf Course.
It burned through a vast landscape of dry brush, coming dangerously close to homes.
Winds fanned the flames but pushed them east and north, away from residential areas. An aggressive ground and air attack from fire crews prevented the fire from spreading further.
According to Watch Duty, forward progress stopped in the fire around 3:30 p.m.
By approximately 5 p.m., all evacuation warnings and orders had been lifted, according to the Genasys Evacuation Map. It's also remained at 50% contained since that time, according to Watch Duty,
A temporary evacuation point was set up at El Camino High School on the 400 block of Rancho Del Oro.
The smoke advisories, issued for for Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Bonsall, and Fallbrook, have also since been removed, according to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
Scott Becker, who lives in Oceanside on the edge of Camp Pendleton, received alerts about the fire and headed out to photograph air tankers dropping water and retardant on the flames.
"Because I'm always looking for cool shots of aircraft. That's my passion, my hobby, former career," Becker said.
"We're very fortunate that it stayed on the Camp Pendleton side and did not impact us," Becker said.
While some residents documented the fire, others took a more hands-on approach. Brandon Ebeling, also an Oceanside resident, stayed to defend his property.
"The whole hillside was on fire," Ebeling said, who had hundreds of feet of fire hose at the ready to fight the flames in his neighborhood.
In anticipation of any flames, he sprayed his entire home with water.
"You wet down the whole yard out there. The trees. Everything back here. Chase the squirrels away. Get the house," Ebeling said.
The November Fire was the third fire in as many days in the region. Monday's Airport Fire sparked less than 5 miles away. The Airport Fire, the Sorrento Fire, and the November Fire all ended with no injuries and no structures burned.
Watch Sky10 video from the fire below:
