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Rockhouse fire 50 percent contained, Cal Fire reports

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A wildfire that started Friday afternoon along state Route 67 near Rockhouse Road has consumed 28 acres and is 50 percent contained, a CalFire official said Saturday.

One-hundred firefighters were on scene to battle the blaze, said Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser.

No structural damage or injuries were reported.

The blaze started about 2:35 p.m. Friday after a burning vehicle ignited brush alongside state Route 67. Crews held the wind-blown fire at about two acres for a time, but flames jumped containment lines late Friday afternoon and began moving across more open land. The fire threatened homes, prompting the sheriff’s department to call for evacuations on Rockhouse Road, Jackie Street and Tommie Lane as a precaution as the fire spread over rugged, hilly terrain. Ramona Library was a temporary evacuation point, and residents with large animals were directed to the Ramona Fairgrounds.

Within three hours, the blaze had grown to roughly 20 acres, the state agency reported.

Air tankers and helicopters fought the blaze as people turned to social media for updates and to thank the firefighters on the ground and in the air for their coordinated efforts.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Friday, crews fighting the fire on the ground and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters had again halted its spread.

Firefighting efforts blocked Route 67 traffic between Poway Road and Archie Moore Road Friday afternoon and into the evening commute. At times all lanes were closed to traffic, and at other times officials enforced one-way traffic control. For a time officials allowed only northbound traffic into Ramona, and by 8:30 p.m. they opened lanes to both northbound and southbound traffic.

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