Rainbow Fire Burns 50 Acres in San Diego County, Forces Evacuations Near Fallbrook

A brush fire broke out Wednesday morning near the community of Rainbow in San Diego County, growing to about 50 acres and forcing evacuations of nearby homes, according to CAL FIRE.

The blaze, dubbed the Rainbow Fire, put roughly 10 homes at risk, NBC San Diego reported. CAL FIRE said in an update at 10:52 a.m. that the fire had potential to grow another 25 acres beyond its footprint at the time.

An earlier post from the agency described a related new ignition, the Rainbow 3 Fire, at 20 acres with a moderate rate of spread and potential to reach 75 acres. CAL FIRE said additional resources had been ordered to respond.

Authorities issued an Evacuation Order for Zone SDC-0111 and an Evacuation Warning for Zone SDC-0110, according to CAL FIRE. By 11:40 a.m., the agency reported roughly 200 personnel and 18 fire engines on scene, backed by multiple air tankers.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church in Fallbrook was designated as a Temporary Evacuation Point for displaced residents.

A photo from the scene showed fire engines staged in front of a plume of gray smoke as crews worked to establish containment lines.

Part of a Bigger Fire Season Picture

The Rainbow Fire is one of 15 active wildfires currently burning across California, spanning almost 100,000 acres combined, according to CAL FIRE data cited by the New York Post. The average size of those active fires sits around 6,600 acres, a number heavily skewed by the Biscar Fire in Lassen County, which has burned close to 70,000 acres since igniting last Saturday.

The Biscar Fire is the largest wildfire in California so far this year and has triggered mass evacuations across more than 300 square miles of Lassen County.

What's Unresolved

The cause of the Rainbow Fire has not been determined. CAL FIRE has not said whether it suspects human activity, equipment failure, or another source. No cause determination typically comes until after initial suppression efforts wind down.

It remains unclear how long the evacuation order for Zone SDC-0111 will remain in effect or when residents under the warning in Zone SDC-0110 might need to evacuate as well. CAL FIRE flagged the 75-acre growth potential for the Rainbow 3 Fire even while the Rainbow Fire's mapped size sat at 50 acres, underscoring how quickly conditions can change.

Whether the Rainbow Fire stays a contained, localized incident or grows further will depend on the coming hours of firefighting and the roughly 200 personnel CAL FIRE has already committed to the effort.