—City News Service with contributions by Melissa Phy
An 1,800 acre brush fire sparked by Cal Fire east of Julian was 70 percent contained today, authorities said.
The so-called San Felipe Fire started on San Felipe Road, north of Highway 79, around 12:20 p.m. Thursday, according to Cal Fire.
At the time, the state firefighting agency was conducting a prescribed burn designed to clear brush from the area so it could not serve as fuel for a wildfire. An unexpected wind shift caused the blaze to grow larger than planned by midday, moving across the rugged terrain, Cal Fire reported.
Heading into Thursday night, the fire was 30 percent contained. That number rose to 60 percent this morning, according to Cal Fire Captain Mike Mohler.
"Crews made good progress overnight," he said.
At 8 p.m., Cal Fire had reported three minor injuries and called in more than 900 firefighters to work the line.
No structures were threatened.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
