Henderson Fire Burns 1,118 Acres at Camp Pendleton, Forces Base Evacuations and a Brief I-5 Closure

CAMP PENDLETON, California. A brush fire that broke out Thursday afternoon on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton grew to about 1,118 acres by Thursday night, forced evacuations on the base and briefly shut Interstate 5, the main highway between San Diego and Los Angeles.

The Henderson Fire started near Basilone Road and Las Pulgas Road, on the western side of the base near Oceanside. East winds pushed the flames through dry brush. Cal Fire reported about 400 acres burned within 90 minutes. By 7:32 p.m. local time, the fire had reached about 1,118 acres, and it was still 0 percent contained at 7:48 p.m., according to Bloomberg reporting that cited Cal Fire figures.

Evacuations on the base

Camp Pendleton ordered evacuations for the Las Flores area, known as the 41 Area. Evacuation points were set up at Paige Field House in the 11 Area and at the 21 Area gym. Stuart Mesa Road was closed to Fire Base Gloria in both directions. Las Pulgas Road was closed, and the Las Pulgas Gate was shut to all traffic except emergency vehicles.

A power outage hit the Las Pulgas 43 Area as the fire spread. As of Thursday afternoon, officials reported no injuries and no structural damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Interstate 5 shut, then reopened

Smoke and flames moved toward Interstate 5 in the late afternoon. The California Highway Patrol closed both directions of the freeway at about 5 p.m., from Basilone Road near San Onofre State Beach to Harbor Drive in Oceanside. All lanes reopened at about 6 p.m., though officials warned that closures could return if conditions changed. Metrolink said its trains would keep running between Orange County and Oceanside as long as it was safe to do so.

At least three air tankers joined ground crews from the Camp Pendleton Fire Department, and Cal Fire crews assisted. A large plume of dark smoke rose over the base and was visible to drivers on the freeway.

The largest fire in a dangerous stretch

The Henderson Fire was the largest of several blazes that started across Southern California on Thursday, a day of hot weather, low humidity and Santa Ana winds. Red flag warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 8 p.m. Saturday, and the National Weather Service expected moderate to strong Santa Ana winds to linger through then. Southern California Edison had cut power to about 64,000 customers by Thursday evening to lower the risk of its equipment starting new fires.

In Los Angeles County, the Bryson Fire near Malibu burned about 200 acres and forced evacuations of its own. Fire officials warned that more growth and new evacuation orders were possible while the winds lasted.