Wildfire Near San Diego Forces Evacuations; Firefighters Gain Ground Overnight

The Dehesa 7 Fire began around 3:19 p.m. Wednesday, near Dehesa Road and Red Gum Road, with CAL FIRE San Diego Unit overseeing the response. The cause remains under investigation. Within hours of ignition, the blaze had grown to 15 acres and was threatening structures, according to an Alert San Diego notice issued that afternoon. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office responded by issuing both evacuation warnings and evacuation orders for nearby areas.

Several roadways were shut down to all but emergency personnel, including Dehesa Road at Wilson Road, Dehesa Road at Tavern Road, and Harbison Canyon Road at Frances Drive. A temporary evacuation point was set up at the east side lot of Viejas Casino in Alpine. Officials explained that an evacuation order means residents face an imminent threat to life and must leave immediately, while an evacuation warning signals a potential danger and gives people time to prepare to leave. Authorities also urged residents to download the Alert San Diego and Genasys Protect apps for real-time updates.

Containment Climbs Overnight

Fire crews reported steady progress as the night went on. At 7:07 p.m. Wednesday, the fire held at 93 acres with just 5 percent containment, according to a CAL FIRE update. By 10:52 p.m., containment had climbed to 25 percent as crews continued working through the night. Containment reached 50 percent by 6:29 a.m. Thursday, with firefighters focused on building and reinforcing containment lines and cooling hot spots to reduce visible smoke, according to a CAL FIRE and San Diego County Fire post on Facebook. By midmorning, crews were preparing for another day of extreme heat, with a base camp set up so firefighters could eat and hydrate during the physically demanding work, a public information officer said in an update through Cal Fire.

Amid the improved containment, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday evening it was lifting the evacuation warning for the Dehesa 7 Fire. Authorities noted that areas shaded green on an accompanying map were no longer under warning, while zones shaded red—including a portion between zones SDC 1867 and SDC 1780—remained under a mandatory evacuation order. The sheriff's office asked residents returning home to watch for firefighters still working in the area and said the temporary evacuation point at Viejas Casino remained open.

Separate Sorrento Fire Nears Full Containment

The Dehesa blaze erupted as crews were finishing work on a separate wildfire in San Diego. The Sorrento Fire, which started Aug. 16 near Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Carmel Mountain Road, began as a 2-acre vegetation fire in a canyon and was initially moving slowly east through medium vegetation without threatening structures, according to a series of updates from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. That fire had triggered mandatory evacuation orders for zone SDC-1444-A, according to Cal Fire's incident report. By Wednesday evening, the Sorrento Fire was 91 percent contained, with only minimal hot spot activity observed, according to a San Diego Fire Department post on X.