The blaze spread over steep, rugged terrain as firefighters battled it on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters.
Smoke from the Border Fire near Otay Mountain rises into the sky at dusk in Chula Vista on Jan. 20, 2025.
A wildfire erupted several miles north of the U.S.- Mexico border in the San Diego area Thursday, quickly blackening scores of open acres as ground and airborne crews worked to quell the flames amid arid and blustery Santa Ana conditions. The blaze erupted for unknown reasons shortly before 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a remote area near Otay Mountain Truck Trail, about a half-mile west of Doghouse Junction in Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, according to Cal Fire.
The blaze spread over steep, rugged terrain as firefighters battled it on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters, said Robert Johnson, a fire captain with the state agency.Within 90 minutes, the burn area had grown to roughly 140 acres, officials reported. By 5 p.m., the fire had spread over an estimated 228 acres, according to Cal Fire."In areas where you smell smoke it is advised that you limit physical/outdoor activity," the advisory said.
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