Brush Fires Burn More Than 5,000 Acres, Threaten Several Homes

Brush fires Friday blackened more than 4,000 acres and destroyed two structures in rural San Diego County while charring more than 1,000 acres and threatening homes near the Riverside-San Bernardino County line.

In San Diego County, 775 firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service battled the blaze near the Cleveland National Forest, said spokeswoman Carol Stein.

Two structures were destroyed, but officials did not know what type of buildings they were. By Friday evening the wildfire was spreading to the northwest, Stein said.

Two homes were evacuated just after the fire broke out, said San Diego County sheriff’s spokesman Don Crist. He did not know how many people were evacuated.

In Riverside County, a back-yard barbecue was blamed for a brush fire that forced the evacuation of homes that were threatened north of Banning. Riverside County fire spokesman Iral Evans said that brush in the area had not burned in 50 years.