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Crews fully surround Shockey Fire burn area

Firefighters are battling a 300-acre brush fire that is threatening structures near the rural East County mountain hamlet of Boulevard.

Acres burned: 2,556
Containment:
100%
Location:
Shockey Truck Trail and Hwy 94 on the Campo Indian Reservation, east of Campo 
Evacuations:
Evacuation lifted for Tierra Del Sol residents only; Tierra del Sol closed to non-residents in the fire area.
Structures Destroyed
: 11 residences, 14 outbuildings and 11 vehicles destroyed; 2 residences damaged
Fatalities:
1 resident, 69-year-old Carson Robison
Injuries:
3 firefighters (minor injuries)
Start date:
September 23, 2012 | 12:16 pm
Cause: Under investigation

CAMPO (CNS) - Crews Thursday fully contained the smoldering remnants of a wildfire that killed a man and destroyed 11 back-country homes while spreading over about four square miles of brushy terrain in rural southeastern San Diego County.

As of 7 a.m., a contingent of roughly 750 crew members had gotten the 2,556-acre burn area of the so-called Shockey Fire 100 percent surrounded, Cal Fire reported.

The blaze broke out for unknown reasons off Shockey Truck Trail and State Route 94 in the Campo area about noon Sunday.

Within several hours, authorities were directing residents potentially in the path of the wind-whipped flames to vacate their neighborhoods.

On Monday afternoon, firefighters found the body of 69-year-old Carson Robison in the charred ruins of his Tierra del Sol Road home. The disabled retiree decided to ignore the call to clear out of the area, opting to take his chances staying put, neighbors told news crews.

Robison, whose remains were identified via dental records, died of burn injuries and smoke inhalation, according to the county Medical Examiner's Office.

Under state law, evacuation orders -- even when deemed "mandatory," as they were in this case -- cannot be forced on those who refuse to comply.

Including Robison's residence, the conflagration destroyed 11 homes, along with 14 outbuildings and 11 vehicles. Two structures also sustained reparable damage.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

At the height of the blaze, nearly 1,000 ground and airborne personnel were battling the flames, Cal Fire reported. Aiding the state agency in the effort were the county Sheriff's Department, Campo Indian Reservation Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Border Patrol.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation this afternoon.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized funding to help state and local agencies defray the costs of fighting the blaze. The allocation will reimburse up to 75 percent of eligible expenses, according to FEMA.

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