The U.S. Forest Service has finished prescribed burns for the season in the Cleveland National Forest, and new signs of smoke are likely wildfires the public should immediately report by dialing 9-1-1, the agency said Tuesday.
Large swaths of the 460,000-acre forest are located in eastern San Diego County, mostly in the Palomar and Descanso ranger districts. The forest also covers parts of Orange and Riverside counties.
Some of California’s largest wildfires have occurred in the forest, including the 2003 Cedar Fire in eastern San Diego County. That blaze, which broke out in the Scripps Ranch area, claimed 15 lives, burned 280,278 acres and destroyed 2,820 buildings.
The San Diego Gas & Electric fire potential index says the wildfire threat throughout East County is at an elevated level, primarily because the region has received only about half of its normal rainfall.
