Fire breaks out in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A brush fire broke out Thursday in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, firefighters said.

The fire, nicknamed the “Great Fire,” started around 12:21 p.m. in the Great Southern Overland in Agua Caliente, Cal Fire San Diego said on its website.

As of 6:46 p.m., the fire grew to 185 acres and was 30% contained, according to first responders. The rate of eventual spread has been stopped and no homes are currently at risk.

“We fight fire in the heat of the desert. We have our fire trucks here. We have bulldozers, we have helicopters, we have aerial attacks, we even had planes come down from Porterville,” said Cal Fire San Diego Capt. Mike Cornette.

Amid firefighting efforts, one civilian was hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, but is expected to recover.

As fire crews continue to battle the large fire in the Agua Caliente community, Cornette stressed the importance of homeowners preparing for what could be an intense fire season.

“We look for at least 100 feet of defensible space around each home, but the most important 100 feet is 5 feet around your home. So I want to make sure that you take care of all the dead and dying wood, we don't want to have rotten wood around the house, some of that wicker furniture…” Cornette said.

While homeowners are taking necessary precautions to prevent potential fire hazards, fire crews have taken control of the Great Fire.

“We have 42 fire stations in this county, which allows us to respond to these fires much more quickly,” Cornette added.

The 1848 Great Southern Overland Stage Route (S2), from Mile 24 to Mile 25, was closed for several hours but has since reopened.

The fire also caused a power outage to more than 100 San Diego Gas & Electric customers.

FOX 5/KUSI's Jaime Chambers contributed to this story.