Three fires that started Friday afternoon continue to burn at Camp Pendleton on Saturday but evacuees have been allowed to go home as the fires are burning away from residential areas on base.
In addition to the Vandegrift fire, which has burned 560 acres and is 70 percent contained, firefighters are fighting the Horno Fire, which is burning off Basilone Road. They were monitoring a third fire near Range 409 on Friday afternoon, according to the base.
The fires were renamed the Pendleton Complex Fire to make it easier to move assets from one area to another, Camp Pendleton Fire Department (CPFD) Chief Bob Johnson said.
The fires have burned a combined 1,800 acres.
Around 750 homes have been evacuated, according to the base.
The Horno Fire, which started around 4:15 p.m., has burned 1,200 acres and is 20 percent contained, according to the Camp Pendleton Office of Communication. The fire shut down Basilone Road from 43 Area in the center of the base to the 52 Area to the north.
The 409/Impact fire has burned close to 40 acres and is 0 percent contained but firefighters are letting that fire burn itself out because it does not pose a danger to structures or personnel, the base said.
The Vandegrift Fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. Friday just as firefighters were battling two other fires around the county.
The fire started at Santa Margarita Road and Deluz Road on the Mainside of the base, Sgt. Hector DeJesus said. De Luz road remains closed.
The fire was at 40 acres as of 2 p.m. Friday. By 3:30 p.m., the fire jumped to 125 acres. By Saturday afternoon it was increased to 560 acres.
Residents of O'Neill Lake Recreational Park, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Building, the De Luz Child Development Center, O’Neill Heights and De Luz Housing were evacuated to Paige Field House.
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Those who residents were allowed to return home overnight, the base said.
San Diego Gas & Electric said about 7,000 customers in the Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook areas were without power as of 7 p.m. Friday.
By Saturday morning, power was restored to all 900 customers at Camp Pendleton, according to SDG&E.
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