A wildfire blackened hundreds of acres today in rugged, hilly terrain southeast of El Cajon, forcing evacuations of back-country homes and sending a column of thick smoke high into the air.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons off Lawson Valley Road in the rural Lyons Valley area shortly after 1 p.m., according to Cal Fire. Within three hours, the flames had spread over about 225 acres, the state agency reported.
Though the blaze was posing no immediate structural threats, deputies cleared residents out of homes along the 19100 block of Lyons Valley Road and other areas east of there as a precaution, sheriff's Lt. Scott Amos said.
The evacuees were advised that they could wait out the fire in a temporary shelter set up for them at Jamul Primary School.
