Heavy rain from a serendipitous thunderstorm assisted firefighters at a wildfire that had scorched about 1,900 acres east of Temecula, and crews expected to fully contain it today.
Chihuahua fire burns in Warner Springs (Credit: Cal Fire/Facebook)
Flash flooding was reported Saturday afternoon in Chihuahua Valley, a remote canyon northeast of Palomar Mountain where more than 880 men and woman had toiled to fight the fire in 100-degree-plus heat until the rain arrived.
Evacuation requests were lifted for about 200 ranches and cabins in the valley, as the blaze was 80 percent contained, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler.
The monsoon storms that hit northeast San Diego County and western Riverside County were a double-edged sword, as lightning sparked several small lightning-caused fires Saturday.
Three small fires were reported in the Palomar Mountains and two in the Cuyamaca Mountains, although most were just a single tree on fire, according to a statement from Cal Fire spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik.
A dry lightning strike sparked the biggest blaze at about 1 p.m. Thursday near Chihuahua Valley Road and state Route 79, according to Cal Fire.
About six hours later, authorities began advising residents in the immediate area to pack up and leave their homes as a precaution.
Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday evening for about 200 households.
The fire was about 35 miles east of Temecula, just south of the Riverside-San Diego county line.
No structures were reported damaged, but the cost to suppress the fire was estimated at $1.5 million, according to Cal Fire.
A firefighter who got overheated in 103 degree air on Friday was airlifted to a hospital. Another firefighter sustained an injury as well, according to Cal Fire.
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I would like to say a ” BIG THANK YOU”, TO ALL THE FIRE FIGHTERS, LOCAL SHERIFF’S, HIGHWAY POLICE DEPARTMENTS. ESPECIALLY OAK GROVE,
SUNSHINE SUMMIT FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WAY TO GO. I CALLED IT IN AS SOON
AS MY MOTHER IN LAW SAW THE SMOKE. IT WAS APPROXMENT 1/2 MILE.
FROM OUR HOME. THE SECOND LIGHTINGING STRIKE WAS 2/3 OF A MILE FROM
OUR BACK DOOR. GREAT JOB ALSO TO BUTCH, TODD LOCAL NEIGHBORS, FOR
LETTING THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS, LOAD UP FROM THEIR WELLS, THIS HELPED SO MUCH. I KNOW OUR VALLEY IS VERY APPRCIATED ALL EFFORTS, TO PROTECT OUR HOMES, AS IT WAS A CLOSE CALL FOR ABOUT 7 HOMES. ALSO TO THE RED CROSS AND WARNER SPRINGS, SCHOOL. ONCE AGAIN A BIG THANK YOU, TO ALL. A PROUD RESIDENT OF CHIHUAHUA VALLEY – BELINDA S.