Firefighters were battling a brush fire that broke out in Lake Morena Monday.

Units were dispatched around 1:30 p.m. on Monday to reports of a fire in a rural camping and fishing area off the Cameron Truck Trail close to the Mexican border, according to Cal Fire officials.

“The blaze was stopped at 5.28 acres. Five abandoned buildings that were used for barns and stables were destroyed,” Cal Fire PIO Captain Brent Pascua told City News Service.

No evacuations or injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Firefighting efforts continue to improve containment of a commercial structure fire that broke out 11 days ago at an energy storage facility in the Otay Mesa area as property managers and contractors work to stabilize the batteries, officials said Sunday.

Units were dispatched in the early afternoon of May 15 to Lithium Ion Batteries at 641 Camino De La Fuente, a 13,600-square-foot battery and energy storage facility in an industrial part of San Diego County.

“The evacuation order at Grid 0436 has been downgraded to a warning due to improved atmospheric conditions, and the evacuation warning for Grid 0437 has been removed,” Cal Fire officials reported.

A road closure was also in effect at Camino De La Fuente at Paseo De La Fuente, according to Cal Fire.

Although there have been no instances of thermal runaway for over two days, the risk still exists, Cal Fire officials said in an incident update.

A total of 15 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, including one engine and 12 unnamed resources.

Personnel from the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health-Hazardous Materials Division were assisting in the effort.

No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

An expected time of full containment has not been reported.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Two fires broke out within roughly 75 minutes of each other and a little more than a mile apart Wednesday in Borrego Springs, seriously damaging a home, destroying an outbuilding and blackening swaths of brushy terrain before crews could snuff out the flames.

There were no immediate indications that the fires’ origins were related, according to Mike Cornette, a captain with Cal Fire.

The first of the blazes erupted about 3:20 p.m. in the area of Lazy S and Saint Vincent drives, a short distance north of Borrego Springs High School, according to Cal Fire.

It took ground crews and personnel aboard air tankers and water- dropping helicopters less than an hour to extinguish the flames, which briefly threatened about a half-dozen homes, gutted an auxiliary structure and spread over about five open acres, said Cornette.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., the second fire began spreading through a single-family home on Sun and Shadows Drive near Palm Canyon Drive, about six blocks south of the site of the previous blaze. Ground crews, some of whom had been fighting the other blaze, were able to put out the flames in about 45 minutes.

The fire extensively damaged the house and displaced three people, all adults. The American Red Cross was called in to help the residents arrange for emergency shelter.

The causes of the blazes were under investigation.

Firefighters continued their efforts Sunday to put out a commercial structure fire that broke out four days ago at one of the largest battery and energy storage facilities in the world in the Otay Mesa area.

Units were originally dispatched early Wednesday afternoon to the massive energy storage facility, Gateway Energy Storage, in the 600 block of Camino De La Fuente.

Progress has been slowed by the fire re-igniting over the course of the week. However, firefighters appeared to be at the tail end of the blaze Sunday, according to Cal Fire San Diego.

“Firefighters continue to mitigate the fire, with only minimum heat remaining,” Cal Fire officials said in an incident update.

A road closure was in effect at Camino De La Fuente at Paseo De La Fuente, according to fire officials.

A total of 40 personnel were assigned to the fire, including one truck, five engines and equipment for hazardous materials.

Personnel from San Diego Fire-Rescue, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health’s Hazardous Materials Division were assisting in the effort.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.

A fire that destroyed a home in a remote area near Loveland Reservoir Monday ignited a vegetation blaze that blackened about 18 open acres before ground and airborne crews could douse the flames.

The house fire erupted about 1:30 p.m. on Sloane Canyon Road, south of Sequan Truck Trail, according to Cal Fire.

The flames destroyed the residence and threatened some other back-country homes and outbuildings for a time, but firefighters were soon able to beat back that flank of the blaze, said Cal Fire Capt. Brent Pascua.

As of 3:30 p.m., ground crews and personnel aboard air tankers and water-dropping helicopters had halted the overall spread of the fire, Pascua said.

Firefighters planned to remain in the area overnight, dousing any and all remaining hot spots, according to Cal Fire.

The American Red Cross was called in to help a man displaced by the house fire arrange for emergency shelter, Pascua said.

In response to another powerful storm bearing down on Southern California Sunday, the county Sheriff’s Department and Cal Fire officials offered driving tips to make travel safer this week.

The first rain should arrive Sunday evening, with widespread heavy rain and mountain snow occurring Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

County emergency services and public works road crews urge the public to avoid driving in heavy rain conditions, but if the trip is necessary they advised to the following precautions:

• Avoid driving through deep water
• Avoid oversteering or stomping on the brakes if you start to hydroplane or skid
• Avoid texting or using a hand-held cell phone when driving
• Slow down to avoid getting into an accident
• Turn on your headlights to see better
• Try to drive toward the middle lanes as water tends to gather in outside lanes
• Defog your windows for better visibility
• Never drive through a flooded roadway
• Give the cars in front of you extra distance
• Watch out for public works crews and equipment

For more information, go to County News Center.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Officials reminded the public Saturday that the county and Cal Fire are offering free sandbags to residents and businesses in unincorporated areas for flood protection.

The county encouraged the use of sandbags due to the possibility of another storm heading to the region. Showers are expected to begin Wednesday night and continue through Friday, with a chance of heavy rain hitting Thursday.

Check online for a complete list of sand and sandbag locations. The many sites include Bonita, Julian, Fallbrook, Ramona and Spring Valley.

San Diego County officials advised the public to call ahead to fire stations to check sandbag availability. Some stations may have a limited supply.

– City News Service

A fire at a mobile home in the Sunshine Summit neighborhood of Warner Springs Monday left two adults in need of housing and caused an estimated $200,000 damage.

The fire was reported at 5:38 p.m. on the 3500 block of Highway 79, with 20 firefighters sent to the scene.

It was knocked down at 6:29 p.m., preventing it from spreading to an adjacent mobile home valued at $300,000, said Capt. Brent Pascua of Cal Fire.

No injuries were reported.

The Red Cross was called to help the displaced residents, Pascua said.

It was unclear what caused the fire.

 Fire crews continued efforts Friday to contain a brush fire in Jamul that initially threatened some homes as it raced through thick vegetation.

As of 9:45 a.m. Friday, the fire had burned 83 acres and was 50% contained.

The blaze was reported about 1:50 p.m. Thursday at Highway 94 and Vista Sage Lane, according to Cal Fire San Diego. Some evacuations were ordered as the flames spread, but fire crews were quickly able to slow the blaze and the orders were lifted by Thursday evening.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remained under investigation.

A Cal Fire spokeswoman told City News Service there were no reported injuries to firefighters or civilians, or any structural damage.

Authorities asked the public to drive cautiously in the area and be mindful of first responders.

–City News Service

The fire-damaged section of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway in downtown Los Angeles will reopen in three to five weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, saying additional testing on concrete and rebar showed better-than-anticipated structural integrity of the freeway deck.

“This will not be a demolition, we will not need to demolish and replace the I-10,” Newsom said during a Tuesday morning news conference.

Instead, crews will work around the clock to continue shoring up and repairing the freeway deck and the roughly 100 support columns affected by the fire that erupted early Saturday morning and forced the closure of a roadway that handles 300,000 vehicles per day.

Newsom said he expects the work to be completed and at least part of the freeway reopened earlier than five weeks.

“I do not want to see that five-week mark hit,” he said. “I want to see something much faster.”

He noted that if the freeway would have needed to be demolished, the closure would have lasted “many, many months,” perhaps as long as six months.

The investigation into the fire was continuing, and there was no immediate information on a possible arson suspect or suspects. Newsom said at a Monday afternoon news conference that the fire was set within the fenceline of the storage business operating below the freeway, which was littered with vehicles, pallets and other materials.

Newsom said Cal Fire investigators who completed their initial probe Sunday night determined “that it was arson, and that it was done and set intentionally. The determination of who was responsible is an investigation that is ongoing.”

He said investigators had some preliminary tips, but he urged anyone with information about the start of the blaze to come forward and call a hotline at 800-468-4408.

The freeway remains closed roughly between Alameda Street and Santa Fe Avenue, affecting connectors to the Golden State (5), Hollywood (101) and Pomona (60) freeways.

Officials urged motorists trying to navigate the area to remain on various freeways as much as possible to avoid having local streets overloaded by thousands of vehicles.

Drivers using the 10 Freeway were asked to remain on the freeway and transfer to other freeways when they approach the downtown area if possible.

For those coming from the east, the first exit to downtown streets is Seventh Street, with the next opportunity at Santa Fe/Mateo. For those coming from the west, the transition to the Harbor (110) Freeway is the first opportunity to access downtown surface streets, and the next exit is Alameda.

State officials established a website at fixthe10.ca.gov to provide the latest information on the repair process.

City News Service contributed to this article.