SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A brush fire broke out in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley area Monday morning, forcing mandatory evacuations and a large response from firefighters on the ground and in the air.
The fire was reported at around 9:20 a.m. in vegetation near Vista Sorrento Parkway and Sorrento Valley Boulevard, just east of Interstate 805, according to Watch Duty.
By 9:50 a.m., the fire burned at least three acres with a “moderate to dangerous rate of spread,” Watch Duty said.
At around 12:30 p.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials said the fire grew to at least 80 acres and was burning east.
At its peak, fire officials said more than 2,200 homes and businesses went under evacuation orders. Another 6,400 were placed under evacuation warnings.
More than 400 fire personnel from across the county rushed to the scene.
Dan Eddy, assistant fire chief with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said the terrain made the firefight especially difficult.
“But the actual angle of that hill, it’s incredibly hard for us to hike through there, especially in initial attacks,” Eddy said.
Seven aircraft were deployed in total, including a Cal Fire C-130H that came on board last week. SDFD Information Officer Jason Shanley said the aerial attack was critical to preventing a far more destructive outcome.
“Firefighters getting to the places that this fire was, it wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t going to happen. We’re seeing a completely different fire had it not been for all the air resources,” Shanley said.
The fire was ultimately held to approximately 90 acres. It remained at 40% containment as of late Monday.
Hilary Doneux, brand manager and afternoon DJ at 91X FM, said the fire was visible from the station’s parking lot on the other side of Mira Mesa Boulevard.
“I would like talk about the fire on the air and then I could walk out into our parking lot and you could see the smoke from here. It was way too close to comfort,” Doneux said.
Doneux said the fire affected station employees throughout the day.
“A lot of our employees live nearby and so had to leave the building to go to their residences in case they were being evacuated. It’s been kind of freaky all day,” Doneux said.
The Metro Arson Strike Team was called to the scene. Eddy said investigators will work to determine when, where and how the fire began.
As the fire began to spread, the San Diego Police Department initially issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in the 10500 block of Sand Crab Place and 10500 block of Corte Jardin Del Mar. An evacuation warning was in place for residents in the 5000 block of Sea Mist Lane.
SDFD officials said a temporary evacuation point was established at Mandell Weiss Eastgate Park at the intersection of Eastage Mall and Regents Road.
Just after 11 a.m., San Diego police expanded evacuation orders and warnings to include the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and surrounding homes.
By 8 p.m., all evacuations were lifted, according to the Genasys Evacuation Map. The temporary evacuation point at Mandell Weiss Eastgate Park was closed shortly after the update.
Road closure remains in place on Sorrento Valley Boulevard from the I-805 while crews continue containment efforts overnight. Residents with proper identification will be allowed access to Sorrento Valley Boulevard.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.