Brush Fire Burns Near Ramona

A brush fire broke out near Ramona on Tuesday afternoon, drawing firefighters to Highland Valley Road near Highland Trails Drive. (nbcsandiego.com) Cal Fire said the blaze started shortly after 1 p.m. on April 21 and burned about seven acres in a rural area near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Officials said the fire briefly posed an imminent threat to structures, but no structural damage or injuries were reported. (nbcsandiego.com) NBC 7 reported Wednesday that investigators determined a metal grinder caused the fire. Earlier reports had said the cause was under investigation while crews checked nearby homes and monitored conditions in the area. (nbcsandiego.com) Ramona sits in inland San Diego County, where grass and brush can carry fire quickly once spring growth dries out. Cal Fire’s 2026 statewide fire archive says Southern California entered the season with high grass fuel loads and drying conditions that raise the risk for larger fires. (fire.ca.gov) San Diego County’s emergency map says smaller, localized incidents may not appear there right away and that fire and evacuation boundaries can change rapidly. The county tells residents to follow local fire and law enforcement updates and use 2-1-1 for specific road-closure and evacuation information. (alertsandiego.org) The Ramona fire did not appear to trigger a countywide disaster update, which the county reserves for emergencies posing broader threats to people or property. That left incident details to Cal Fire and local media as crews worked the scene. (alertsandiego.org) Statewide, Cal Fire’s 2026 archive listed 841 wildfires and 9,756 acres burned as of April 22. In Ramona, the latest brush fire ended without reported injuries, but it started the way many Southern California vegetation fires do: one spark in dry fuel. (fire.ca.gov)