Firefighters today fully contained the 2,556-acre Shockey Fire that claimed a man's life and destroyed 11 back-country homes in rural southeastern San Diego County.
The state agency initially predicted full containment would be reached on Wednesday but ended the day at 98 percent containment, with no immediate explanation why the target was not met. In a statement released just after 7 a.m., Cal Fire reported that the fire was 100 percent contained.
The fire broke out around noon Sunday off Shockey Truck Trail and state Route 94, spread by gusty winds amid warm temperature. The cause was under investigation.
Within hours of the fire breaking out, dozens of residents in Tierra del Sol, Jewel Valley and Boulevard were told to flee their homes. A retirement-age man was later found dead Tierra del Sol. Authorities and neighbors presumed
he was a disabled Tierra del Sol resident who apparently disregarded the notice.
In addition to the fatality, three firefighters were injured in the Shockey Fire but none of those injuries appeared serious, according to Cal Fire.
The state firefighting agency reported there were 11 residences and 14 outbuildings confirmed destroyed, along with 11 vehicles. Two structures were also damaged.
At the height of the fire early this week, there were near 1,000 fire personnel assigned to the incident. By 7 o'clock this morning, there were 749, including 674 Cal Fire employees, the agency reported. Aiding the state agency
in the effort were the county Sheriff's Department, Campo Indian Reservation Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Border Patrol.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized funding to help state and local agencies defray the costs of fighting the blaze. The FEMA allocation will reimburse up to 75 percent of eligible expenses.
As of this morning, authorities had not released the estimated cost to fight the Shockey Fire.
