A brush fire broke out in the University District on Thursday afternoon, rapidly growing and threatening structures in the area, prompting evacuations.

The brush fire flared up around 1:30 p.m. on the south side of Montezuma Road, an area filled with old, dead palm trees, and quickly jumped onto the road and began spreading uphill, according to San Diego Fire Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz.

“This looks like a war zone,” said one resident who was evacuated on foot along Montezuma Road. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I could see very dark smoke and some flames from SDSU, but I didn’t realize how catastrophic it was.”

Fire crews from multiple agencies responded quickly after the fire created a cloud of smoke throughout University Area and San Diego. A large number of aerial fire crews arrived at the scene and deployed retardant drops to prevent the flames from spreading further.

By 2:45 p.m., the fire had reached 37 acres and evacuations were underway, but firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand in the battle.

“I feel like we got this done,” Munoz said around 3:15 p.m. “I can’t tell you exactly when it will come out, but I’m confident.”

Munoz said the main areas of concern for firefighters are the Talmadge area and Alvarado Estates. Both neighborhoods are located on hills, and fires tend to move quickly up hillsides.

The #FairmountFire was 25% contained as of 6:30 p.m., San Diego Fire said in an X post, adding that six homes were damaged by the flames and no injuries were reported.

“There are only six on 37 acres in the middle of San Diego, in an area surrounded by homes,” SDF Battalion Chief Craig Newell said. “This is great.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria echoed that sentiment Thursday night.

“I am deeply grateful to the City of San Diego firefighters, helicopter pilots, and police officers who responded to today’s brush fire, as well as other local agencies who assisted us with this emergency,” Gloria said in a statement, in part. he said. . “The efforts of everyone involved were brave and heroic, and I couldn’t be more proud of our first responders.”

#fairmountainfire As of 18.30, 25% is under control. Montezuma Street will remain closed all night due to apparatus access.
Once Talmadge is able to reproduce, a notification will be posted here on Allied Gardens Rec via Genasys & AlertSD.
6 houses were damaged; No injuries. #fireman pic.twitter.com/3DRKM24U23

— SDFD (@SDFD) November 1, 2024

The crew was expected to remain on scene throughout the night, with new crews arriving periodically to provide assistance.

Evacuations

San Diego police were evacuating homes near the canyon on Montezuma Road, which was closed in both directions.

An evacuation point has also been established at Allied Gardens Recreation Center (5155 Greenbrier Ave, San Diego, 92120).

All evacuation orders were lifted as of 21:00. The latest evacuation updates can be found here Here.

All areas under mandatory evacuation #fairmountainfire It is now open to resettlement.
Montezuma Street between Collwood Blv and Fairmount Av will remain closed overnight.
Additionally, electricity was restored to the area. @SanDiegoPD pic.twitter.com/cvlu0YlIVN

— SDFD (@SDFD) November 1, 2024

Hardy Elementary School, 5420 Montezuma Rd. He was also under evacuation. While students were being taken to Viejas Arena, parents going to pick up their children were asked to stay away from College Avenue.

Shortly after the fire broke out, SDPD said it went door to door on Lucille, Lila and 49th streets, warning people they needed to leave.

A resident who was not evacuated and lives across the street from Lucille told NBC 7 she saw the fire coming.

“Folks know what to do here because it’s an ever-present danger,” the resident said. “They knew they had to go next door and get their neighbors out. We have a lot of elderly people here, we have a lot of pets, so we took the elderly out, we took the pets out, we moved them to a safe area.”

Ian Gibson has one of the best views of the canyon from his deck.

“I was shocked when I turned the corner and saw it completely burned,” the evacuee said. “Living here in the canyon, you’re in constant fear of fire, there’s a chance it could happen one day, and today was that day.”

NBC 7’s Dave Summers spoke with residents who were in the mandatory evacuation zone when the Fairemont Fire spread to University Area.

Munoz said anyone who feels unwell, whether under mandatory evacuation or not, should not hesitate to go to the Allied Gardens Recreation Center evacuation point.

Animals were also welcomed at the evacuation centre. The San Diego Humane Society said it has provided assistance to 15 pets so far.

closed roads

Many roads in the area are closed and authorities are urging people to avoid the area.

The scope of closed roads is as follows:

• Fairmount Boulevard and Montezuma Road
• Fairmount and Aldine Drive
• Montezuma and 55.

Fire officials said at 6:45 p.m. that motorists should expect Montezuma Road to remain closed throughout the night while fire crews worked in the area.

San Diego State University told students there was no threat to the campus or their community, but traffic delays were to be expected. The university said evacuation orders may be affecting surrounding areas but not the campus, which is still open and where classes are held.

“Roads near campus are expected to be closed until midnight,” the university said in a statement Thursday afternoon. he said. “The affected roads are: Aldine Drive at Fairmount Avenue, Fairmount Avenue at Montezuma Road and Montezuma Road at 55th Street.”

Traffic was especially heavy along Interstate 8, prompting a SigAlert for the eastbound lanes.

MTS said Many bus routes were affected by the fireIncluding routes 11, 13, 14 and 955.

How did the fire start?

SDPD tells NBC 7 the fire is believed to have started in a palm tree, but the cause is not yet known.

The fire started in a short time following another afternoon fire in Spring Valley. This led to some evacuations.

Resources from many different agencies responded to help fight the fire, including Lakeside, Santee, Miramar and Cal Fire fire departments.

“That’s what we do, we help each other,” Munoz said. “We have a very strong relationship between our fire departments in this county. We never have to worry about someone else not being able to help us.”

How does weather affect fire?

NBC 7 Meteorologist Francella Perez said the fire created its own wind, especially as it climbed into the canyon.

Wind speeds favored firefighters, reaching only about 5 mph, and there were no Santa Ana winds to contend with, Perez said. But humidity was very low at 20 to 30 percent.

Munoz said that although the wind speed was low, it quickly changed direction, making it difficult to extinguish the fire.

Check back here for details on this breaking news —Ed.