A rapidly growing wildfire has broken out in San Diego, prompting mass evacuations and damaging homes.
The fire was first reported shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday in the College Area neighborhood, and the rapid pace of its growth spread to more than 40 acres by 3:45 p.m. local time.
No injuries or deaths have been reported in the hours since the fire started, however emergency services are in the early stages of controlling the fire and the extent of the damage is unclear.
Several neighborhoods and several schools were evacuated Thursday afternoon, as teams from multiple agencies were deployed.
A rapidly growing wildfire has broken out in San Diego, prompting mass evacuations and damaging homes as dark clouds fill the sky.
The fire grew to more than 40 acres, after it broke out in an area filled with old, dry palm trees that quickly caught fire and spread before it gained momentum to jump a road.
Early images of the fires showed the sky over San Diego was filled with dark smoke as the wildfire continued to spread across the area.
Among those deployed were helicopter crews who dropped water and fire retardant on the inferno from above.
The original point of the fire was traced to an area filled with old, dry palm trees that quickly caught fire and spread before gaining momentum to jump a road, said Monica Muñoz, a spokeswoman for San Diego Fire and Rescue.
One resident said NBC San Diego that although the fires are in their early stages, they have already caused significant damage.
“It looks like a war zone here,” they told the outlet. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before. From SDSU I could see very dark smoke and some flames, but I didn’t realize how catastrophic it was.’
Muñoz said around 3 p.m. local time that she felt “confident” that fire crews would control the fire, adding, “I feel like we have it under control.”
Early images of the fires showed the sky over San Diego was filled with dark smoke as the wildfire continued to spread across the area.
Crews from multiple agencies have been deployed to control the fire, including helicopter units that dropped water and fire retardant on the inferno from above.
The San Diego Fire Department said it was going door-to-door throughout the area evacuating residents Thursday afternoon.
One resident who fell into the evacuation zone said he saw the fire raging through the area, but said he was not worried.
“People know what to do here because it’s an ever-present danger,” he told NBC San Diego, citing the routine wildfires that California’s dry coast sees almost every year.
‘They knew they had to go next door and get their neighbors out. We have several elderly people here, a lot of pets, so we take the elderly people out, we take the pets out and move them to a safe area.’