Firefighters on Tuesday stopped the spread of a blaze in a Camp Pendleton training area that started one day earlier and scorched about 150 acres, according to base officials.
Officials from the military installation first reported Monday that the fire had scorched at least eight acres of vegetation in a Twitter post at 7:50 p.m. It had grown to consume 35 acres by 9:17 p.m., but was spreading slowly at that time.
By 10:15 p.m. the fire was measured at 50 acres and was 20% contained, the base said.
In a tweet at 12:54 a.m. Tuesday, the base said the fire’s forward spread was halted with the blaze at 145 acres and 40% contained. Then it grew to 80% containment before the base said later that morning that firefighters were doing “mop up.” That means fire personnel go into the burned area and ensure there’s no smolder debris or hot spots.
Crews from the Camp Pendleton Fire Department were working to contain the blaze and had help from departments out of Orange and San Diego counties.
A Twitter user located as far away as Oceanside posted photos of large columns of smoke illuminated from below by flames rising in the hills north of the city.
@nbcsandiego current fire on Camp Pendleton ridge line. View from Oceanside. pic.twitter.com/5H0TKT5bFJ
— Kevin (@SanDiegoRelay) May 19, 2020
