Brush Fire Prompts Evacuations, Road Closures In Mission Valley Area

SAN DIEGO, CA — A brush fire forced evacuations and road closures Tuesday in the Mission Valley area of San Diego.

The blaze, called the Friars Fire, was first reported at 12:09 p.m. off Friars Road and Via de la Moda, according to Cal Fire and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

A total of 138 personnel were assigned to the blaze, which scorched three acres and remained 0% contained as of 2:29 p.m. Firefighters stopped the spread of the flames by early afternoon, officials said. The fire scorched between 15 to 20 acres, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

By Tuesday evening, the fire was 100% contained, according to Cal Fire.

The San Diego Police Department issued evacuation orders and warnings for nearby areas. All evacuations were lifted shortly before 4 p.m., but roadway restrictions remained in place, specifically for the Camino Degrazia and Friars Road areas.

"First responders are still actively working in the area," police said on social media. "Please proceed with caution."

Police shut down a stretch of the busy roadway and cleared people out of nearby structures as ground crews and personnel aboard water-dropping helicopters fought the flames, which were climbing steep slopes toward a bluff-top condominium complex.

The San Diego County Office of Education's Linda Vista campus and Linda Vista Innovation Center were among the buildings that were evacuated. The County Office of Education said the locations would remain closed Tuesday and reopen Wednesday.

A temporary evacuation point was established at Snapdragon Stadium's west parking lot at 2101 Stadium Way in San Diego.

Police asked people to avoid the area of Friars Road, west of SR-163.

The SR-163 northbound and southbound off-ramps to Friars Road were closed due to the blaze, according to Caltrans.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.