A hillside brush fire in Spring Valley near Sweetwater Reservoir that forced evacuations before ground and airborne crews were able to stop its progress was 50% contained as of Sunday morning.
Cal Fire said that management of the fire has been transferred to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for mop-up operations, because the fire was on that agency’s land.
The Lodge Fire erupted for unknown reasons off Jamacha Boulevard and Double Tree Road on Friday afternoon, Cal Fire said.
Within 45 minutes, the flames, which were exhibiting a “critical rate of spread,” had blackened about 30 open acres, the agency said.
Officials cleared people out of homes and businesses near the burn zone as ground crews and personnel aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters worked to douse the fire amid temperatures in the mid-80s. A temporary shelter for the displaced was set up at Skyline Church in La Mesa.
The evacuation order was later downgraded to a warning as conditions improved and was later lifted.
There were no reports of structural damage or injuries, The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said.
City News Service contributed to this report.