The San Diego County fires that began on Wednesday May 14 as a single fire that erupted into nine fires that burned out of control for days. According to News Channel 8, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, the following summarizes what the current conditions are for the fires still left burning:
"Cocos Fire - San Marcos: This fire has burned 1,995 acres and is 87 percent contained Monday morning. All evacuation orders and road closures were lifted as of 11 a.m. Sunday, according to the City of San Marcos.
San Mateo Fire - Camp Pendleton: The San Mateo Fire that was reported at 11:24 a.m. Friday has burned 1,500 acres and is 97 percent contained, according to the latest update from Camp Pendleton.
Tomahawk Fire - Camp Pendleton: The Tomahawk Fire that started Wednesday has burned 5,400 acres and is now 100 percent contained, according to the latest update from Camp Pendleton.
Pulgas Fire - Camp Pendleton: The Las Pulgas Fire that was first reported at 3:15 p.m. Thursday has burned 15,000 acres and is 75 percent contained, according to the latest update from Camp Pendleton.
Poinsettia Fire - Carlsbad: This fire has burned 600 acres. Carlsbad fire officials are reporting the Poinsetta Fire is 100 percent contained.
Bernardo Fire: This fire has burned 1,548 acres and is now 100 percent contained."
The fire is suspected to have been started by humans. A retired fire chief noted the it is virtually impossible for that number of fires to begin spontaneously (information from News Channel 10 in San Diego). At least 47 homes were destroyed in the fires and losses have been estimated to be over $20 million. Firefighters have been helped by the weekend's cooler temperatures and calmer winds.
This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on May 16, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner