Call Center Company in El Cajon, CA

Several people and their animals were evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a wildfire erupted in rugged terrain south of El Cajon Mountain in Lakeside.

The blaze was reported about 3 p.m. off El Monte Road near Yucca Road, west of El Monte County Park, according to Alert San Diego. It quickly prompted evacuations.

Cal Fire said the fire was spreading at a moderate rate. At 6:40 p.m., the agency said it had charred 340 acres, and crews had it about 10% contained.

The fire had the potential to grow to 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire Capt. Robert Johnson.

“One of the challenges on this one is going to be the steep terrain,” he said.

At least 100 people were assigned to work on the fire, and the attack included multiple planes and helicopters.

The weather is hot — about 90 degrees, he said — but the wind is calm.

Meteorologist Paul Steward from the National Weather Service said light sea breezes were bringing higher humidity to the area Tuesday afternoon. “Hopefully it will bring some relief, so it won’t be as dry,” he said.

Overnight temperatures could fall to about 59 degrees, he said, but Wednesday’s high could be more than 90 degrees.

Evacuations have been ordered for an area roughly north of El Monte Road, east of Hazy Meadow Lane, northwest of the reservoir and south of Roosevelt Lane and Wildcat Canyon Road, according to online fire mapping.

Evacuation warnings were issued for areas to the east and north, including the northern reach of El Capitan Reservoir.

About 85 residents are under either an evacuation order or warning. A temporary evacuation center was set up at Walmart on 13487 Camino Canada in El Cajon.

Small pets could be evacuated to the South Shelter, 5821 Sweetwater Road in Bonita.

Large animals could be evacuated to the Dianne Jacob Lakeside Equestrian Park, 11055 Moreno Avenue in Lakeside.

San Diego County Air Pollution Control District issued a smoke advisory for El Monte Valley and surrounding areas.

and last updated 1:48 PM, Jun 18, 2025

LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — A brush fire ignited on El Monte Road east of Yucca Drive in Lakeside Tuesday afternoon, triggering an evacuation order for the nearby area, according to San Diego County's emergency alert website.

As of 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire said the fire was roughly 400 acres in size and 20% contained. It initially ignited a little before 3 p.m. Tuesday and grew to more than 200 acres within an hour.

Firefighters from the Lakeside Fire Protection District and San Diego County Fire were some of the first on scene.

A public information officer for Lakeside Fire told an ABC 10News reporter on the scene that the fire was roughly 300 to 400 acres in size because it hit a ridge with a lot of dry brush, allowing it to proliferate as it climbed the slope.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for the areas shown on the map below:

Cal Fire says the fire has a moderate rate of spread and has the potential to "be an extended attack incident."

"As of right now, it's hard to predict how long crews will be on scene, but they are going to remain on scene until the fire is 100% contained and the hot spots have been mitigated," said Captain Robert Johnson.

This is in the same area where the Cedar Fire burned in 2003. At more than 273,000 acres, it was the largest fire in California's history at the time.

Johnson said the mountainous terrain in the area is presenting the biggest challenge in the attack.

“Sometimes we see high winds that influence the rate of spread, the speed of the fire, but today, the fire is being predominantly driven by the steep rocky slopes," Johnson said.

That, combined with dry brush, high heat and low humidity. This is part of the region in San Diego County under a heat advisory through Wednesday evening at 8 p.m.

The county says the temporary evacuation point has been moved to the Walmart Supercenter at 13487 Camino Canada in El Cajon. The original evacuation point was El Monte Park, but first responders decided to relocate it.

According to the county, an evacuation order means:

At the evacuation center, ABC 10News caught up with Kris Karaba, who was sitting in the car with his wife and cat, Aria.

“I was just coming home from work and I got the phone call from my wife," Karaba said. "She got a message on the phone saying there was a fire real close to the house and that we were being ordered to evacuate.”

The Karabas have lived in the Lakeside area for five years. This is the first time they've ever had to evacuate.

Karaba said the flames came within a mile of their home when they left.

"I was paranoid," he said.

The county recommends downloading the Genasys Protect app to stay up to date on potential evacuations in your area.

At around 7:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said Lake Jennings Park Road at El Monte Road and Willow Road at Omas Road had reopened to the public; however, El Monte Road at Omas Road was restricted to residents, while Yucca Road at El Monte Road remained closed.

???? TRAFFIC UPDATE – #MonteFire ????✅ Now Open:• Lake Jennings Park Rd at El Monte Rd• Willow Rd at Omas Rd???? Still Closed:• El Monte Rd at Omas Rd – Residents Only• Yucca Rd at El Monte Rd – Emergency Personnel Only (Hard Closure)Please drive with caution, and stay…

— CHP El Cajon (@CHP_El_Cajon) June 18, 2025

Sky 10 flew above the fire for an aerial view of the blaze — see it for yourself below.

Multiple agencies from across Southern California are assisting in the fight against the Monte Fire, both from the ground and in the air.

"We have multiple resources on scene, including multiple air resources, the fixed wing air tankers, as well as the helicopters that are working this," Johnson said. "As well as we have ground resources that include fire engines, firefighter hand crews, we have bulldozers, fire water trucks, which we call water tenders, and we also have multiple different agencies working in cooperation to attack this fire."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. ABC 10News has sent a reporter to the area to gather more information.

Updated photo of the Monte Fire as we approach the flames. @10News pic.twitter.com/M0fFdPDFnj

— Max Goldwasser ABC 10 (@MaxGoldwasser) June 17, 2025

Copyright 2025 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The fire was reported around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday near El Monte Rd in Lakeside in East San Diego County and quickly led to evacuations for nearby residents.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Firefighters continued to battle a brush fire in Lakeside, in East San Diego County near El Monte Road east of Lake Jennings Parkway on Wednesday. The fire started on Tuesday and is sending large plumes of smoke into the air that can be seen miles away.

The fire has burned approximately 400 acres and is 20% contained as of 6:24 a.m. Wednesday. The fire activity has reduced and is now moving at a slow rate of spread, according to CAL FIRE.

CAL FIRE, Lakeside Fire Protection District, and San Diego County Fire crews are all on the scene using both air and ground crews. CAL FIRE told CBS 8 that 2 firefighters have reported minor injuries.

Get the most up-to-date information from the CAL FIRE Monte Fire incident page>>

Evacuation Orders and Warnings have been issued for residents near the fire: See all evacuation orders and Genasys map >>

The Temporary Evacuation Point is the Walmart Supercenter at 13487 Camino Canada, El Cajon

Credit: Genasys Evacuation Map

In Lakeside, the threat of wildfire is never far from mind, especially for those who’ve lived through it. Amanda Stevenson, manager of Mountain View Ranch off El Monte Road, said preparation is key.

“This ranch actually did burn in the Cedar Fire. So we have a game plan, because it has happened,” she said.

When she saw smoke from Tuesday's fire, she didn’t waste time gathering trucks and trailers.

“We have 22 horses here, so we need to make sure we get everyone out safe, and two pigs, so we need to get everyone out safely,” Stevenson said.

Fortunately, the flames moved away from the property, but Stevenson was ready to act.

“We do have sprinklers on our arena, thankfully," She said. "So if anything, we will throw horses in the arena until we get enough trucks and trailers.”

CalFire has built a list of things to have ready in case you and your family are evacuated during any wildfire or disaster.

Ensure your wildfire ‘Go Bag’ includes:

Always have sturdy shoes and a flashlight near your bed, ready for sudden night evacuations.

If time allows, consider adding:

WATCH RELATED: How to know when it's time to go during a wildfire:

What factors contribute to high fire danger in Southern California?

Santa Ana Winds occur when air from the desert region blows westward toward the California coast. This results in dry air that flows east to west over the mountains and towards the valleys and coast of Southern California. Santa Ana winds typically feel warm because as the cool desert air moves down the side of the mountain, it is compressed, which causes the temperature of the air to rise. We tend to see relative humidity plummet and temperatures soar during offshore wind events like this.

These winds create high fire conditions not only for a fire to start but offshore, Santa Ana winds are the perfect fan needed to allow a fire to explode in size once it starts.

The water year restarts every year on October 1 and measures the rain totals for the season through the following September. When rain totals are below average, the vegetation that once was green turns brown and dry and can serve as fuel for wildfires. The saturated ground can help mitigate fire risk substantially, but the opposite tends to elevate our fire risk. The sooner and more frequently we see substantial rainfall, the lower our risk of a wildfire starting and spreading rapidly.

CalFire Captain Robert Johnson said last year's dry winter and hot summer puts San Diego County at a higher fire risk.

"With not seeing that significant amount of rainfall, it does not allow the brush throughout the county to absorb that moisture, so we are starting behind the curve due to the low precipitation throughout the rainy season," Johnson said.

When a region is in critical fire danger, power companies tend to shut off power in pre-planned ways in order to prevent electrical equipment from sparking or starting fires. It is also because electric consumption tends to climb with warmer temperatures (usually thanks to A/C needs) and can lead to overall stress on the power grid. When you combine the risk of fire with planned power shut-offs, many school districts will close. Schools can also be used as monitoring sites for fire crews in the event of a fire starting.