Firefighters battle blaze that broke containment lines

Firefighters are battling a nearly 90-acre brush fire at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar after a prescribed burn jumped containment lines Saturday.

The fire broke out around 2:10 p.m. near the intersection of Kearny Villa Road and Camp Elliott Road, according to the San Diego Fire Department.

The fire started as a prescribed burn, a planned fire that is started and controlled to reduce the risk of wildfire, according to Cal Fire. The two-day burn began around 6:45 a.m. The Miramar Fire Department intended to char 57 acres.

The department's prescribed burning program, which averages 250 acres of vegetation treatment per year, is necessary to reduce wildfire risk based on “the combination of chaparral plant communities, open space, climate and human activities,” according to an information sheet published on the site. the department's Instagram page.

By the afternoon, the fire had breached the containment lines.

The San Diego Fire Department said via a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it would send five brushed motors and a helicopter to help fight the blaze. The fire had grown to 15 acres by 2:25 p.m. with a slow to moderate rate of spread.

Cal Fire was also called to assist and sent two air tankers, a helicopter, a crew and a battalion chief, Capt. Brent Pascua said.

The state's Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System mapped the fire at 89.2 acres around 3:30 p.m.