Smoke visible from Camp Pendleton fire

Crews worked Friday to contain a fire that blackened swaths of brushy open land on a firing range at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps spokesman reported.

Smoke from the fire is visible from parts of Ramona and the surrounding area.

The blaze, sparked by live-fire exercises early Thursday evening, had spread over about 75 acres as of late this morning, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Barry Edwards said. By then, military, state and federal firefighters had the burn area roughly 25 percent contained, he said.

The wildfire in the south-central reaches of the Oceanside-area military base had a near-negligible rate of spread and was posing no threats to structures or personnel, the captain said.