Residents allowed to return after spread of brush fire stopped north of I-8 in Boulevard

A brush fire broke out late Friday morning in the far southeast reaches of San Diego County, and has since been stopped from spreading further, with all evacuation orders and warnings lifted.

According to CalFire officials, the Roadrunner Fire started at around 11:23 a.m., northeast of Roadrunner Lane and Moonlit Trail in Boulevard, and burned through 10 acres, with a “moderate rate of spread (and an) immediate structure threat.”

It grew to 25 acres within the hour and by shortly before 1:30 p.m., to 88 acres.

The brush fire is currently at 15% containment, but CalFire said crews stopped the forward spread of the flames shortly before 2 p.m.

Authorities had issued a level 3 evacuation order for areas east of Ribbonwood Road, west of McCain Valley Road, and north of Interstate 8, stretching into parts of the McCain Valley.

Additionally, evacuation warnings were in place to the north and east of the evacuation zones, including Lark Canyon and the Tule Lake area.

A temporary evacuation site was set up at Golden Acorn Casino, 1800 Golden Acorn Way, in Campo.

Firefighters – on ground crews and aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters – are facing difficult conditions. Though the region’s heat spell is on the wane, it remains very hot, above 98 degrees, in the remote area. In addition, humidity levels are at just 10%, according to the National Weather Service.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Updated at 2:55 p.m. Aug. 8, 2025