City News Service • August 18, 2026
Campo-area wildfire threatens structures
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Smoke from the Church 2 Fire near Campo rises into the sky on Aug. 17, 2026.
A brush fire spread over swaths of brushy open terrain in the rural southeastern reaches of the San Diego area Monday, blackening scores of acres and threatening structures as ground and airborne crews worked to subdue the flames.
Church 2 FireThe blaze, dubbed the Church 2 Fire, erupted for unknown reasons shortly before 2:30 p.m. off the 36800 block of Church Road in Campo, east of Lake Morena and about a mile south of Interstate 8, according to Cal Fire.
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Within a half-hour, the fire had grown to encompass roughly 20 acres, the state agency reported. The flames were posing potential hazards to some developed areas as firefighters battled the blaze, officials said.
As of 3:45 p.m., the size of the burn zone had grown to about 132 acres, Cal Fire advised.
EvacuationsAuthorities issued an evacuation order for sparsely populated locales around the intersection of Live Oak Springs Road and Old Highway 80, and advised people living somewhat farther to the east to prepare to clear out of their homes on short order.
A temporary shelter for the displaced was in operation at Golden Acorn Casino in Campo.
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