Follow
A swiping wildfire engulfed the hillsides around Barona Casino, forcing the evacuation of several homes in the reservation.
A number of seven to ten homes have been affected by the blazing wildfire, called by authorities the Wildcat fire due to the area of Wildcat Canyon that it impacted the most.
Hundreds of acres of land and vegetation have been scorched, although what started the fire is still unclear. Most accounts place it on the elevated temperatures that might bring about the same hazard in the upcoming period.
The East County wildfire is now partly detained, with no more evacuations expected to follow. The road stretching from San Vicente and Barona Casino has been closed until the spread is fully contained.
The first signs of the Wildcat wildfire came around 4:50 P.M. when a smoke cloud rose above northern Lakeside. Cal Fire was called in and it deployed five helicopters, hundreds of firefighters, as well as four air tankers to aid in containing the wind-driven Wildcat fire. Flames had engulfed 20 acres of the rocky hillsides in the Barona Indian Reservation when the intervention began, ending in 150 acres of land being scorched by the time the Cal Fire intervention ended around 9 P.M.
The intervention was a joint enterprise of the Barona Reservation firefighters, United States Forest Service and several departments across the county, according to statements issued by Cal Fire Captain, Kendal Bortisser.
The Cal Fire intervention stopped shortly after sunset, yet the San Diego Fire-Rescue Dept. is still holding positions.
Aside of the vegetation and land scorched by the Wildcat fire, there were no injuries or structural damages reported as of yet.
Another swiping wildfire broke out in the San Bernardino Mountains where more damages are expected to occur. Approximately 50 acres of land and vegetation have been destroyed, 180 campers in the area have been evacuated and the wildfire is reported to be 15 percent contained.
In the Barona Reservation, the temperatures reached 86 degrees according to the National Weather Services. It is believed that this elevation sparked the Wildcat fire, driven afterwards by the wind gusts in the region.
The next days are expected to be marked by temperatures above 70 degrees.
Image Source: nbcsandiego.com
