Cal Fire San Diego units extinguished a two-acre fire on Sunday that began as a signal fire by a hiker seeking medical aid at an Otay Mesa trail.
Fire authorities received the first report at around 2:30 p.m of a one-acre fire on vegetation near Otay Mountain Trail, one mile east of the U.S. Mexico Border, Cal Fire San Diego tweeted. The fire slowly spread to brush at the time of the first report.
According to Capt. Thomas Shoots of Cal Fire San Diego, air units dropped retardant around the blaze by 4:20 p.m. The agency tweeted at around 4:30 that air and ground resources stopped the spread of the fire. Crews worked “to mop up and cut containment line around the fire”.
The fire began with a hiker in the area experiencing dehydration and sought help by igniting a signal fire that got out of hand, according to authorities. The agency reported that a helicopter crew making water drops transitioned into a hoist rescue and flew the hiker to a hospital. Authorities said the hiker was near the fire.
