LAKESIDE, Calif. — Firefighters stopped the forward progress on a brush fire Wednesday alongside eastbound Interstate 8, west of Los Coches Road in the Lakeside/Granite Hills area, according to Cal Fire. The Coches Fire scorched 30 acres in unincorporated El Cajon after it started around 3:30 p.m.
The eastward-spreading flames moved up grassy slopes to within a few hundred feet of houses along Carob Tree and Lotus lanes as crews battled the blaze by ground and aboard firefighting aircraft, said Thomas Shoots, a fire captain with the state agency.
Deputies advised residents of those homes to clear out as a precaution, sheriff's Lt. Mark Moreno said.
Firefighters had the spread of the blaze halted as of shortly before 5 p.m., Shoots said. They were expected to remain in the area well in the evening, dousing hot spots and creating fire breaks.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. There was no reported damage to structures.
