Authorities lifted evacuation orders and reopened roads Tuesday evening in rural East County after firefighters fully contained a fast-moving brush fire that had scorched more than 400 acres.
“It is looking good out here,” Cal Fire Capt. Robert Johnson said.
The Posta 3 fire started north of Campo shortly after noon Monday and quickly spread, threatening structures and prompting evacuations on both sides of Interstate 8. Several aircraft dropped fire retardant on flames, and two civilians were reported injured but were not transported to a hospital.
Overnight into Tuesday, firefighters took advantage of cooler temperatures, and crews worked around the clock strengthening control lines and extinguishing hot spots in rocky, hilly terrain, officials said.
The aircraft was no longer needed, but there were more than 190 firefighters on the ground Tuesday, including more than 20 fire engines, six hand crews, five water tenders and three bulldozers.
Johnson said fire officials planned to patrol the fire zone and look to see if any property damage had occurred in the 413-acre fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
