Monte Fire in Lakeside burns over 1,000 acres

Photo by Ryan GrotheA Cal-_fire S2T making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan Grothe A Cal-_fire S2T making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan GrotheA Cal-Fire C-130 Tanker 121 ( The newest addition to the Cal-Fire fleet ) making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan Grothe A Cal-_fire S2T making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan Grothe a BAE-146 operated by Neptune Aviation making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan Grothe A Sikorsky S-61 operated by Siller Helicopters making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan GrotheA Sikorsky S-60 Hawk operated by PJ helicopters making a drop on the Monte fire.

Photo by Ryan Grothe Cal-_fire S2T making a drop on the Monte fire.
On June 17th at 2:59 PM, a brush fire broke out in the San Diego community of Lakeside. The fire spread rapidly threatening structures and property in the area. Numerous firefighting crews from the ground and air were dispatched to the fire. The fire burned to the east towards El Capitan lake. There were a few minor injuries reported to firefighters. Cal-Fire San Diego is in charge of the incident. Below is the latest update form Cal-fire.
Fire crews have observed a decrease in fire activity. The fire is now 1049 acres and has shown little growth since yesterday. Firefighters continue to make progress and containment is now 35%. The most active area of the fire is the east side. Fire crews are concentrating on building and improving containment lines, accomplishing the greatest progress on the south and west sides of the fire perimeter. The north and east sides of the fire continue to be areas of focus for fire line construction.
Weather conditions are expected to be more favorable today compared to yesterday, with lower temperatures and higher relative humidity. Fire crews anticipate temperatures in the high 70s throughout the day, dropping into the 50s overnight. Southwest winds are expected to be around 5-7 miles per hour and continue throughout the day and into the night.
The fire continues to burn in challenging steep and rocky terrain. Helicopters will remain engaged today conducting water dropping operations on hot spots within the fire perimeter. Yesterday fire crews were flown into difficult to access areas. These crews have begun constructing containment lines on the north and northeast sides and have made good progress. The crews inserted into these remote areas are expected to remain there for multiple days. Additionally, helicopters will be transporting supplies to firefighters working in remote areas.
Heavy equipment has been working on the east side of the fire, building and improving on an existing access road. This road will be utilized as a contingency line as well as potential for future ground troop access.
Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect. However, there are currently no structures threatened. For the most up to date information on evacuations and road closures, continue to monitor Project Genasys.
Cause of the fire remains under investigation.