Full containment of Camp Pendleton fire expected by 6 p.m. tomorrow

Monday, Oct. 7—

A wildfire that scorched about 2,200 acres on the grounds of Camp Pendleton over the past two days was roughly two-thirds contained tonight.

Hundreds of federal, state and local firefighters battled the blaze, which temporarily forced some military families from their homes and patients out of a base hospital over the weekend, officials said.

The fire erupted early Saturday afternoon close to Lake O’Neill, near the center of the U.S. Marine Corps installation, according to the base’s public affairs office. Full containment was expected by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In the hours after the flames began spreading, about 330 residents of the O’Neill Heights military housing area were evacuated. They were able to return home late Sunday afternoon.

Roughly 30 patients at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton were transferred to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and Naval Medical Center San Diego in Balboa Park due to the fire. They were brought back Sunday morning, when the hospital resumed normal operations, officials said.

The blaze resulted in no reported injuries but caused some minor structural damage, according to the Marine Corps.

The cause was under investigation.

—City News Service