SAN DIEGO, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Fires fed by wind and heat in Southern California destroyed some homes and forced emergency evacuations and school closures, officials said.
A brush fire, known as the Shockey fire, burned through 2,000 acres near the Campo Indian Reservation in San Diego County, destroying 20 houses and at least 15 other outbuildings, U-T San Diego reported Sunday. Another 80 homes in the area were threatened.
Evacuations were ordered for an area from Tierra Del Sol Road and Old Highway 80 to the Mexican border, sheriff's officials said.
All schools in the Mountain Empire School District were closed Monday because of the Shockey fire, school officials said.
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The fire started Sunday afternoon near the Shockey Truck Trail and grew rapidly as winds fanned it, Cal Fire spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik said. By late Sunday, the fire burned 1,700 acres and was 10 percent contained.
San Diego Gas and Electric said the fire knocked out power for at least 140 customers. The utility said power should be restored Monday.
In southwestern Riverside County, the Temprano fire, which may have damaged up to five homes, was declared between 30 percent and 40 percent contained late Sunday, Murrieta Fire Chief Matt Shobert said.
Firefighters were investigating reports of damage to homes, but said they hadn't located the structures reportedly damaged by the fire late Sunday, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise reported.
The fire started in the late afternoon in the Warm Springs Park and Reserve, where temperatures topped 90 degrees, and spread across hillsides behind several residential areas, The Press-Enterprise said.
Residents were under voluntary evacuation orders.
The fire burned about 60 acres and its cause was being investigated, officials said.
