Marines Gain Ground On Camp Pendleton Wildfire

[thedrifter]

Marines Gain Ground On Camp Pendleton Wildfire

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) ― Firefighters working through the night have seriously slowed the progress of a wildfire at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

Officials at the Marine base say the fire is 70 percent contained Thursday morning.

It has burned nearly 1000 acres on a range used to train Marines to dispose of artillery.

The blaze broke out yesterday at about 3:30 p.m. and spread quickly through the afternoon.

Smoke could be seen in Orange County to the north and Riverside county to the east.

The flames were are from the populated part of the base and are threatening no structures, but Camp Pendleton's golf course was evacuated as a precaution.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines gain ground on Camp Pendleton wildfire

2 hours, 49 minutes ago

Firefighters working through the night significantly slowed the progress of a wildfire at Camp Pendleton that had quickly grown to nearly 1,000 acres on a Marine explosives range.

The blaze about 40 miles north of San Diego was 70 percent contained early Thursday as temperatures fell and winds stayed calm after nightfall, said Marine Maj. Kristen Lasica.

The fire was burning through the remote range used to train Marines in disposing of explosives. The flames were far from the populated part of the base and threatened no structures, but Camp Pendleton's golf course was evacuated as a precaution.

Billowing smoke could be seen as far away as Orange County to the north and Riverside County to the east.

"Crews are optimistic, but keeping in mind the dry weather conditions, there are no guarantees," said Capt. Nick Schuler, a spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire. "We expect continued hot and dry weather but no wind until Sunday evening. Hopefully this will be out by then."

Gentle winds on Wednesday pushed the fire northeast through dry brush on the base's southern end, near Oceanside, where drivers on Interstate 5 slowed to watch as the blaze cast an eerie, orange glow on the sky.

By Thursday it had "slowed considerably on three sides" the Camp Pendleton Web site said.

Marine officials said they did not know the cause of the fire or whether training was going on at the range when the blaze began. Lasica said it was not immediately clear if explosives remained in the training field.

A small, separate brush fire broke out and briefly threatened several homes on the base shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, but it was quickly contained.

Power was shut off in some areas of the base to allow firefighters to burn firelines.

Ten Marine brush truck teams, similar to engine companies, were being aided by 20 fire engines from county fire agencies and state and federal forestry departments.

Last October, more than 21,000 acres burned in remote areas of the base. No structures were damaged.

Camp Pendleton, one of the largest bases in the country, takes up 125,000 acres in northern San Diego County. It is home to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The Marine Corps established the base in 1942.

___

On the Net:

Camp Pendleton: http://www.pendleton.usmc.mil

Ellie

[thedrifter]

REGION: Marines gain ground on Camp Pendleton wildfire

By Staff and Wire reports

CAMP PENDLETON -- Firefighters working through the night at Camp Pendleton halted the progress early Thursday of a wildfire that had quickly grown to nearly 1,900 acres on a explosives range and had worried area residents who could see flames from miles away.

The blaze, dubbed the November fire for the part of base where it started, was 100 percent surrounded Thursday morning, base officials said. However, officials cautioned that the fire was not completely under control and a slight possibility remained that a flare-up could jump the fire break.

Still, very little active fire was burning at the fire line's edge, officials said.

The flames were far from the populated part of the base and threatened no structures, but Camp Pendleton's golf course was evacuated as a precaution. The course and the base's stable and riding areas will be closed Thursday.

Billowing smoke could be seen as far away as Orange County to the north and Riverside County to the east.

"Crews are optimistic, but keeping in mind the dry weather conditions, there are no guarantees," said Capt. Nick Schuler, a spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire. "We expect continued hot and dry weather but no wind until Sunday evening. Hopefully this will be out by then."

Cooler temperatures and winds from the west are expected through Saturday, but forecasters say dry Santa Ana winds from off-shore are expected to kick up Sunday and Monday, increasing the risk of wild fire.

Gentle winds on Wednesday pushed the fire northeast through dry brush on the base's southern end, near Oceanside, where drivers on Interstate 5 slowed to watch as the blaze cast an eerie, orange glow on the sky.

Marine officials said they did not know the cause of the fire or whether training was going on at the range when the blaze began Thursday afternoon.

A small, separate brush fire broke out and briefly threatened several homes on the base shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, but it was quickly contained.

Nine nonmilitary aircraft from San Diego dropped water before night fell, Schuler said. The aircraft included the county's two new "Super-Scooper," planes, which can drop 1,600 gallons of water.

It was the first time the planes leased from a Canadian company had been tested in a fire, and they performed well Schuler said. They scooped water from the ocean then dumped it on the blaze, he said.

"They were extremely effective in an incident like this, where the blaze was so close to the ocean, Schuler said."

Ten Marine brush truck teams, similar to engine companies, were aided by 20 fire engines from county fire agencies and state and federal forestry departments, with a combined 180 personnel fighting the fire.

Power was shut off in some areas of the base to allow firefighters to burn firelines.



Ellie