Lilac Fire Burns 80 Acres, Evacuation Orders Expanded In North County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — Multiple brush fires sparked early Tuesday morning, burning dozens of acres and forcing evacuation orders in San Diego’s North County.

The fire blaze, called the Lilac Fire, sparked at 1:19 a.m. near Old Highway 395 and Lilac Road in the Bonsall area of San Diego County.

As of 3:20 a.m., the fire had burned 50 acres and was threatening structures, according to Cal Fire San Diego. As of 3:51 a.m., the fire had scorched 80 acres. The blaze was spreading at a moderate rate and was 0% contained.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued and later expanded for residents in the area, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

Evacuation orders were issued for the following zones: SDC-0235, SDC-0236, SDC-0285, SDC-0286, SDC-0287, SDC-0288, SDC-0289. Evacuation warnings were issued for the following zones: SDC-0281, SDC-0282, SDC-0283, SDC-0325, SDC-0326. See the evacuation maps here.

A temporary evacuation point was established at Castle Creek Country Club at 8797 Circle R Drive in Escondido.

The second blaze, called the Pala Fire, sparked around 2:16 a.m. north of Interstate 15 and state Route 76 in Pala, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire officials initially said the blaze blackened 30 acres before crews stopped forward progress of the flames. The burn area was later downgraded to nearly 17 acres with more accurate mapping.

An evacuation order was issued for residents in the area but later lifted, according to Cal Fire and the Sheriff’s Office.

A third brush fire, dubbed the Riverview Fire, sparked on Riverview Road in Fallbrook. The blaze burned about an acre.

An evacuation order was issued but later lifted for residents in the area. Although crews stopped the forward rate of spread, firefighters remained on the scene to continue to build containment lines and extinguish hot spots, according to Cal Fire.