Fire chars several acres along border of Rancho Santa Fe

A fire that started along the border of Rancho Santa Fe and the Fairbanks Ranch community charred a little more than three acres of brush Tuesday afternoon, June 11, before crews halted its growth, a fire official said.

The blaze was reported about 2:15 p.m. near Avenida Cuatro Vientos and Calle Mayor, according to Cal Fire’s Twitter page. It was burning amid “light, flashy fuels.”

It was about 80 degrees when the fire started.

Cal Fire, which was coordinating with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District, said the spread of the blaze was stopped by about 3:20 p.m.

Crews were expected to remain at the scene into Tuesday evening ensuring there were no flare ups.

No structures were threatened, according to fire officials, although a homeowner in the area told OnScene TV that the flames may have started near his house where a work crew was clearing overgrown brush.

Pouya Afshar said he was at work when his wife called him in tears telling him there were flames in the yard.

“What we think happened was, we hired a crew to come clean up our brush, after the rain hit us, the brush was waist high,” Afshar told OnScene TV. “I think in the process, they must have hit a rock as the blades were spinning, and we think that’s what started the fire.”

Afshar said a neighbor who is a longtime resident and has experienced brush fires came to the rescue with a high-powered pump and hose system that uses pool water.

A Cal Fire spokesman said that as of 4:40 p.m., the official cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

-- Alex Riggins and Lyndsay Winkley are reporters for The San Diego Union-Tribune