Update 8:46 p.m.-- The fire is now 600 acres, per Watch Duty App. No structures are currently threatened.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left, by Jeff Caton, taken from the intersection of Fletcher Parkway and Cuyamaca St. in El Cajon this evening.

Photo, right: Border 2 Fire viewed from  HP Wren Otay Mountain West camera

January 23, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Border 2 Fire burning on Otay Mountain has swelled to 566 acres as of 7 p.m. tonight. The flames are visible as far north as Escondido and Ramona.  There is zero containment as yet.

The fire which began early this afternoon was burning at a “dangerous” rate of spread, Watch Duty App reported, however this evening Cal Fire indicates it is growing at a moderate rate as winds have lessened.

No evacuation notices have been sent out by the County, though campers at Pio Pico and Thousand Trials have posted on social media that they were advised to evacuate or prepare to evacuate.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 16,2023 (Tecate,CA) --  Cal Fire/San DIego County Fire crews and a water-dropping helicopter are at the scene of a vegation fire in Marron Valley, west of Tecate.  The fire has burned at least four acres on the U.S. side of the international border.

Update 10 p.m.  The fire is now 4,234 acres and 5% contained.  The fire continues to threaten the communities of Barrett, Potrero, and Tecate.  Multiple agencies are on scnee fighting fire and protecting structures through the night.

Update 9 p.m.:  An ECM reporter on scene tonight reports "explosive" fire behavior.  A second ECM reporter on scene witnessed electrical equipment explode. The fire is burning near State Routes 188 and 94, heading north. Scanner traffic indicates several homes burned and two civilians suffered burn injuries; a firefighter had a minor heat-related injury.  If you are in the path of this fire, do not wait -- get out now.  The Border Patrol is assisting the Sheriff Dept. with evacuations.

Update 8 p.m. : All schools in the Mountain Empire School District will be closed tomorrow due to the fire.  

SDG&E reports fire damaged electrical equipment, causing an outage for 309 homes in Dulzura, Potrero and Campo. Restoration is expected by noon tomorrow.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left, by Nadin Abbott, view from Barrett Junction east toward Potrero

August 31, 2022 (San Diego’s East County)—The #BorderFire32 has swelled to 1,600 acres since starting this afternoon near State Route 94 and Barrett Lake Road near Dulzura. 

The fire is burning eastward, with zero containment, and has crossed State Route 94 on the eastern portion of the fire.  Structures are threatened, at least one has burned, and more than 400 homes have been ordered to evacuate tonight  as the fire burns at a critical speed. Mandatory evacuation areas include much of Potrero, Barrett Junction, Dulzura and Tecate.

State Route 94 is closed all the way from Otay Lakes Rd. in Dulzura to Forrest Gate Rd. in Campo.  The Tecate border crossing is also shut down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: SDG&E webcam

Other photos:  Steve Wingfield of Jamul

Update August 16:  The fire in Mexico has been renamed  #Border8Fire. It is now over 1,500 acres and is 30% contained. Cal Fire is preparing to send a strike team to assist firefighters in Mexico.

Update August 15:  The fire is now 1,100 acres but still confined to Mexico. Cal Fire is monitoring the situation.

August 14, 2019 (Tecate) – A fire burning in Mexico has scored over 250 acres in the Tecate area and has potential to cross the border near Potero.  Cal Fire has pre-treated fuels on the U.S. side of the border and will have crews remain on scene overnight at the fire, dubbed #BorderFire.  The blaze is within 1/8 of a mile from the international border Cal Fire reports.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo, left:  Cal Fire, 9/2/2017

Photo, below right: Paula Maness, 9/1/2017

September 2, 2017 (Dulzura) – The Border Fire south of Dulzura is now 75 percent contained and has charred an estimated 130 acres, according to Cal Fire.

The brush fire began yesterday along Highway 94 near Marron Valley Road.It is currently spreading to the northeast and is not expected to impact populations. Firefighters will remain on scene constructing containment lines and  mopping up hot spots.

East County News Service

October 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery picked up three awards in San Diego Press Club’s 2016 Excellence in Journalism Awards competition.

Our entry titled “Border Fire Leaves Residents Burned Over Bureaucratic Bungling” won the Wildcard category; this year the wildcard topic was “life on the border.”  Our media outlet beat out media in all categories for this prestigious award including TV, radio, newspapers and magazines countywide.

By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2016 (Potrero) – “Finally! Kendrick was the last of the dogs at our shelter in Bonita which were rescued from the Border Fire in Potrero in June, “San Diego Animal Services posted on Facebook yesterday.

According to Animal Services, “The young man in the photo met Kendrick a few weeks ago and couldn't get him off his mind. His mom said if they came back on Saturday (October 1st) and Kendrick was still here, he could have him for his birthday which is this week. Kendrick hit it off with this family right away and was happy to leave with them today! His new family is going to take him on lots of hikes on the trail near their home!”

By Jan Hedlun, Potrero resident

Note:  Hedlun sent this on Sept. 14 to San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Boudreau, with copies to Supervisor Dianne Jacob and ECM.  She’s granted permission to run this as an open letter/reader’s editorial.

Re:  Regional Fire Safe Council Meeting/Potrero

September 16, 2016 (Potrero) -- My name is Jan Hedlun and I am a Potrero resident and an elected member of the Potrero Community Planning Group. I was speaking to Bob Buerer who attended the recent Regional Fire Safe Council meeting on Thursday, September 8^th who told me something deeply disturbing.

By Miriam Raftery

August 19, 2016 (Potrero) – San Diego County staff has completed its after-action report on the Border Fire.  The report is available at http://www.readysandiego.org/aar/Border-Fire-June-2016-AAR.pdf.  View reports on prior fires at http://www.readysandiego.org/aar/.

Update: The Sheriff's office has responded to concerns raised at the Campo-Lake Morena meeting. View the response from Captain Hank Turner here:  http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/rural-fire-sheriff%E2%80%99s-office-re...

By Miriam Raftery

July 10,2016 (Campo) –At a packed meeting of the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group this week, attendees spoke out to voice anger over officials’ treatment of residents during the  Border Fire, particularly issues involving law enforcement officers and County Animal Control. Chair Billie Jo Jannen stated, “We need to channel this outrage”  and circulated a draft letter to be sent to Supervisor Dianne Jacob following any changes after the public’s statements.

The first portion of the meeting focused on issues of not enough water in Lake Morena to fight the fires. (See our article on the Lake Morena issues here.)  The next agenda item focused on other Border Fire issues.

At a table in the back sat several  women who found the bodies of Jim and Kyrie Keefe during a search conducted by volunteers 10 days after the fire at the site where they lived in Dogpatch, just  east of Potrero. They voiced outrage over the fact that despite complaints to officials who did too little, too late, it fell to women volunteers to find the bodies.  The couple died of smoke inhalation in between boulders behind their home, where they apparently tried to take shelter during the wildfire.

“Precious moments were lost and that caused the fire to get out of control…Lives have been lost that may have been saved if they had been able to get water out of Lake Morena and not burned 6,000 acres in less than 12 hours.”—Karen McIntyre, Campo

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Karen McIntyre displays photos of Lake Morena before and after the City of San Diego drained away over 97% of the water.

July 8, 2016 (Campo)—At a heated meeting of the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group,  residents vented anger over the loss of homes and lives during the Border Fire.  Some fault the City of San Diego for draining Lake Morena, claiming lack of water delayed firefighting aircraft responses.

The residents are demanding changes—and some are talking about legal remedies to take back control of their local water supply.

By  Miriam Raftery

Update July 6, 2016:  The Medical Examiner has confirmed the identity of James Peter Keefe,53 and also confirmed that the second body is that of his wife,but has not released her full name pending efforts to locate her relatives in Canada.

Memorial fund established for Jim and Kyrie Keefe

July 3, 2016 (Potrero) –A memorial service is planned for July 10^th at 11 a.m. to commemorate Jim Keefe and his wife, Kyrie.  The service will be held at 28020 State Route 94 in Potrero,  the site where the young couple lived.  Bodies believed to be theirs were found by volunteer searchers among boulders 50 to 70 yards behind their home after the Border Fire.

“Let’s get together to honor them, talk to each other about what happened that tragic day, and salute two wonderful people who brightened our lives and made us smile. See their art, tell some stories on the mic, hear some music, walk the property, cry, hug,and laugh,” Claudia Millerbragg posted on the Potrero Town page on Facebook, adding that people should bring chairs.

June 29, 2016 (Barrett Junction)--Supervisor Dianne Jacob has pulled together an emergency meeting in response to all the concerns raised by Border Fire survivors. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the BarrettCafe, 1020 Barrett Lake Road in Dulzura.

A note from her office states: "She will be there with Fire Officials, Sheriff's Department, Office of Emergency Services, Animal Services, BLM, Border Patrol to listen to residents' concerns andanswer questions. This meeting was scheduled already. Sup Jacob has quickly reformed it to include the very people who need to hear from residents there on the ground.  She is well aware of the concerns you've shared with her office."

Update:  The Medical Examiner's office has identified the bodies found as Jim and Kyrie Keefe, who died of heat-related injuries.

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2016 (Potrero) – Two bodies have been found in a rocky crevasse in Potrero by volunteer community members who organized a search this morning, multiple sources have informed East County Magazine. 

The bodies were found at a site burned by the Border Fire, 10 days after the blaze began, Reporting San Diego’s Nadin Abbott, first media at the scene, and Deerhorn Valley Antler Editor Kim Hamilton both confirmed.

The bodies have not yet been identified,  but were found during a search for Jim Keefe, known as “Barefoot Jim” and  his wife or girlfriend who neighbors knew as “Kyrie.”   As ECM reported last night, neighbors launched the search themselves, voicing frustration that their repeated efforts to get help from a Sheriff’s official for days failed to lead to a serious search of the property and vicinity.

“Spent 15 minutes and picked up smell,” Hamilton told ECM in an e-mail. “Located bodies on hillside tucked into a pocket in the boulders. Exactly what has ben communicated to sheriffs from the beginning.”

By Jan Hedlun

Potrero Resident and Wildfire Survivor

June 28, 2016 (Potrero) --I have heard that local and government agencies involved in the Border Fire are already patting themselves on the back, saying they handled everything perfectly without having sat down with community members for input.  I notice they are holding meetings to tell each other what a good job they’ve done; meetings that most of us recovering from the wildfire did not hear about and could not get to.

I just saw on a Facebook post that today the San Diego County Board of Supervisors are going to “chat about how to provide assistance to victims of the fire at their meeting today." * Chat? Didn’t they have a multitude of meetings after the Cedar (2003), Harris and Witch Fires (2007) that dealt will these topics?  Didn’t they come out with resolutions back then?

I’ve not heard from anyone that Supervisor Jacobs or other authorities have been out here to ask people face-to-face what happened and what could be improved upon. Don’t you think they would want to know all the facts from the people that were involved before holding all these self-congratulatory meetings?