Flames Char 7,000 Acres, But Camp Pendleton Fire Containment at 50%

Firefighters on Thursday continued battling a brush fire that has spread across thousands of open acres at Camp Pendleton.

The blaze, dubbed the Canyon Fire, has sent a pall of brown smoke over the northern reaches of the San Diego area and into southern Orange County.

The flames, which erupted Tuesday toward the northern end of the U.S. Marine Corps base, had blackened about 7,000 acres as of late Thursday afternoon, according the base’s X account.

Yet the incident posed no structural threats and crews had the sprawling burn area roughly 50% contained.

The fire prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue a smoke advisory for southern Orange County, warning the air could reach unhealthy levels for “sensitive groups” through late Friday afternoon.

The sooty conditions were expected to spread along the coast of Orange County and into southwestern Riverside County before dissipating, according to the agency.

AQMD officials advised those in areas affected by the smoke to:

• Limit their exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or seeking alternate shelter
• Avoid vigorous physical activity
• Run a home air conditioner or air purifier if possible, and shun so-called “swamp coolers,” or fans that bring in outside air
• Avoid burning wood in home fireplaces or fire pits, and minimize sources of indoor air pollution, such as candles, incense, pan-frying and grilling, and
• Consider using a properly fit N95 or P100 respirator while outdoors.

– City News Service