SAN MARCOS (KGTV) — A fast-moving brush fire in San Marcos forced evacuations Sunday, serving as a reminder that wildfire season could ramp up quickly in San Diego.
The Moree Fire forced Cal State San Marcos and nearby residents to evacuate. Firefighters stopped the spread of the flames in just over an hour.
"Yesterday was a prime example of that quick unified response, doesn't matter what the jurisdiction is everybody comes in and works together to quickly suppress these fires," Mike Cornette said.
Cornette, with Cal Fire San Diego, said over the last few weeks, they have seen more small fires pop up around the county. He believes this is a preview of what could be ahead.
"As the weather in the summer progresses, it starts to get drier, and the grass starts to turn brown. That's when we start to see our larger fires and more rapid fire growth, so we're starting to get into that transition right now," Cornette said.
Cal Fire is hiring additional seasonal firefighters to be in peak staffing in the next few months.
The National Weather Service said San Diego has seen below-average rain this season and low snowpack across the region. This means vegetation is drying out earlier than normal.
"We had the rain earlier this year and some snow; it began to melt off when we started seeing these all-time record high temperatures," said Ivory Small with the National Weather Service in San Diego.
Small said that drier conditions and winds starting to pick up create the perfect setup for wildfires.
Cal Fire said preparation is critical, and people should always be ready to go when a fire starts.
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