A brush fire, dubbed the Friars Fire, was reported in the 9000 Block of Friars Road, Mission Valley, San Diego, California on Saturday. The fire is at 1 acre at the time of writing, as per WatchDuty, which tracks such outbreaks across the US.
The blaze has been determined to have a moderate rate of spread in medium fuels, as per the site.
“100′ by 100′ vegetation fire in light, flashy fuels with a slow rate of spread, per the first-arriving unit. The response has been upgraded to a 1st alarm,” the site noted. It added that law enforcement had been instructed to shut down Friars Road on both sides while the fire was being brought under control.
A photo was shared by WatchDuty as well. You can see it here.
“An additional 5 engines have been requested to Escala Circle, per incident command. Additional aircraft from CAL FIRE have also been requested,” another update on the situation read. However, authorities are yet to officially comment on the matter.
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A later update indicated that the air support from CAL FIRE which had been sought to combat the blaze was thereon canceled.
Councilmember Raul Campillo shared an update on the blaze. “I’ve been in contact with Chief Logan of SD Fire-Rescue. The one-acre fire is being attacked by several crews (at least 4 engines and multiple brush rigs) with two helicopters assisting in the air. Please avoid the area as Friars Road will be closed in both directions along Fenton Parkway, at River Run Drive. No structures are currently threatened. Thanks to our SDFD and our fire fighters for their quick response,” he wrote.
A cause for the fire is not currently known.
Friars Fire in Mission Valley, San Diego: Scary visuals, reactions
One person shared a video of the Friars Fire as seen from San Diego.
Thick black smoke could be seen rising to the sky. The person recording the video noted that it looked ‘horrible’ and indicated it was next to Costco, there.
Another person on Facebook commented “Fire in Mission Valley next to Costco. On the hill right next to my house. Not sure if I’m gonna evacuate police and fire department are on station. Gathering it to go bag just in case I’m told evacuate.”
One page on X that tracks fires as well noted “conditions near the fire at Mission Valley North are temperatures of 66.5ºF with humidity at ~70% (68.2%) with sustained wind speed of 9.7 mph with gusts out of the South West at 17.5 mph.”
A person shared a street level photo and the fire could be seen burning in the distance.
Others expressed words of support. “Praying for you, hope they get that fire out,” one wrote. Another urged that people ‘stay safe’.
Another wrote on X, “Fire breaks out in Mission Valley beside the I-805 near Snapdragon Stadium hours before International Soccer Weekend game ft. Switzerland vs Australia to start.” They shared a Reddit post where a clip of the blaze was put up.
The person who’d posted the video wrote “Fire northwest of the Fenton Parkway Costco, just started within the last 10 minutes. Growing fast.”
Yet another person shared a photo from the road, while driving. The flames were more clearly visible in this picture.
“FYI, fire on the side of the freeway on the 805 N. just above Mission Valley, not far from the Fenton Parkway, Costco and the Rio San Diego condos. It looks like it is pretty close to the electrical towers. It looks like they are also on top of it with water drops and fire crews, just be safe. Hope everyone is OK and they get it put out quickly,” they wrote, adding “I am headed to the HomeGoods in Mission Valley and I literally just saw the water drop helicopter grab water out of the river and fly overhead! They were so close!”.
