Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...A brush fire that ignited Monday on the north end of Camp Pendleton has charred 1,500 acres as it spreads into the Cleveland National Forest.
The Mateo fire was reported to be 40% contained Tuesday afternoon, said Cleveland National Forest spokesperson Daniel Lanari. No structures were threatened.
The blaze began around 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Quebec training area of the base, near the San Mateo Creek, officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Around 460 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, Camp Pendleton and the Orange County Fire Authority were battling the blaze Tuesday, including eight hotshot crews, two bulldozers and five helicopters, Lanari said.
The fire, which is burning in the northeast corner of the base and in the San Mateo wilderness area, had grown to 990 acres by Tuesday morning and continued to spread at a moderate rate. Lanari said fire crews were dealing with “hard access and terrain issues” that were slowing their efforts.
“It is a lot of old brush that hasn’t burned in a long time, old chaparral brush. It is kind of a remote area along the forest and Camp Pendleton out there,” Lanari said.
A Camp Pendleton official said updates on the fire would be posted on the base’s Facebook page. An update posted Tuesday morning said there was no threat to personnel or property.
“While firefighters are working on fighting the Mateo fire, the public is asked to use caution with anything that can spark a fire as the Southern California weather continues to heat up and vegetation dries out,” a Forest Service news release said.