Brush fire on Camp Pendleton sends smoke plumes over Fallbrook

CAMP PENDLETON – A brush fire spread over hundreds of open acres in the northwest reaches of Camp Pendleton today, sending plumes of smoke over northern San Diego County but posing no structural threats or traffic problems.

The blaze erupted for unknown reasons in a training area on the military station north of Oceanside in the late morning, Marine Corps Capt. Brian Capt Villiard said.

As of 5 p.m., the flames had blackened about 300 acres, he said.

Base firefighters spent the day monitoring the blaze, letting it burn off dry vegetation as it moved over land at a safe distance from developed parts of the USMC installation.

The personnel will keep watch over the burn area into the evening and through the night to make sure it does not become a hazard to inhabited areas, according to Villiard.

The fire had no effects on scheduled training or traffic flow on the base, he said.