A fire that ignited Thursday near Jamul ended up charring about 39 acres — about half the size officials mistakenly reported Friday, a spokesperson with Cal Fire San Diego said.
Authorities have revised the acreage burned from 83 acres down to 39 — and blamed the number error on a pilot’s mistake.
Cal Fire firefighters turned over responsibility for fighting the fire to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services on Friday evening, and at that point the fire was considered 75 percent contained, Cal Fire Capt. Brent Pascua said. After a pilot flew over the fire, the agency reported the fire had reached 83 acres. That information was wrong, he said.
The blaze was first reported at about 1:50 p.m. Thursday at state Route 94 and Vista Sage Lane, according to Cal Fire San Diego. Some evacuations were ordered as the flames spread, but fire crews were quickly able to slow the blaze. Orders were lifted by Thursday evening. No injuries or structural damage were reported.
Cal Fire Capt. Mike Cornett said crews on the scene Friday had a line around the fire, and were handling clean-up duties. He added that some light
rain on Friday helped reduce the fire threat. Cal Fire crews were assisted by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service firefighters.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. By Sunday, the fire was reported 95 percent contained.
