Ramona Wildfire Contained After Burning Through Orchard: Cal Fire

RAMONA, CA — Firefighters extinguished a wildfire that burned five acres in Ramona Wednesday afternoon.

The blaze started near the intersection of Highland Valley and Wyneland roads in Ramona at around 4 p.m., Cal Fire said. Ground crews, air tankers, water dropping helicopters and crews from Cleveland National Forest, Poway and San Diego were able to extinguish the blaze by about 5 p.m., Cal Fire Capt. Thomas Shoots told City News Service.

The fire burned five acres of a tree orchard, and destroyed about 100 trees, Shoots said. It threatened several nearby homes and was moving for a time toward two homes on a nearby adjacent hillside, but firefighters stopped its spread. It did not cause any other injuries or structural damage.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by a piece of catalytic converter found near the origin of the fire, Shoots told the Ramona Sentinel. No vehicle was found near the fire, and vehicles can run without the converters. Shoots believes a piece of the converter fell off, and the converter grew hot enough to spark a grass fire.