Henderson Fire burns more than 1,100 acres at Camp Pendleton, briefly closing I-5

What happened

A wind-driven brush fire burned more than 1,100 acres on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County on Thursday, Oct. 15, prompting evacuations on the base and a temporary shutdown of Interstate 5. Cal Fire's statewide incident listing, last updated at 5:51 p.m. PDT, showed the Henderson Fire at 1,116.9 acres. No containment figure had been posted. ^[1]

The fire was reported at about 2:35 p.m. near Henderson Street and Brown Street, in the base's 43 Area close to the junction of Basilone and Las Pulgas roads, according to Cal Fire and the North Coast Current. Cal Fire's early updates show how fast it moved: about 10 acres at 2:39 p.m., 100 acres by 2:47 p.m. and up to 150 acres by 2:52 p.m. By 4:41 p.m. it had passed 1,100 acres. ^{[1] [5]}

The Camp Pendleton Fire Department has jurisdiction over the incident, which Cal Fire lists as not a Cal Fire incident. Ground crews were supported by at least three air tankers, NBC Los Angeles reported, while the North Coast Current said four tankers were assigned. ^{[1] [4] [5]}

Evacuations and road closures

At 4:56 p.m., base officials ordered evacuations of the Las Flores (41 Area), directing personnel to Paige Field House in the 11 Area, with the 21 Area gym later added as a second site. Times of San Diego reported that no evacuations had been ordered outside the base as of 5:30 p.m. ^{[5] [3]}

The California Highway Patrol closed I-5 in both directions between Basilone Road, near San Onofre, and Harbor Drive in Oceanside just after 5 p.m. NBC Los Angeles reported the freeway reopened at about 6 p.m., with the CHP warning that closures "may resume depending on conditions." ^{[4] [3] [2]}

On the base, Las Pulgas Road is closed between Stuart Mesa Road and Brown Street, Stuart Mesa Road is closed to Fire Base Gloria, and the Las Pulgas Gate is open only to emergency vehicles, according to base advisories cited by local outlets. Power outages were reported in the 43, 41 and 31 areas. ^{[5] [4]}

Damage, smoke and conditions

Cal Fire said early in the afternoon that structures south of the fire were threatened but that there was no immediate threat to life. As of Thursday evening, LAist reported no injuries, deaths or destroyed structures. The cause is under investigation. ^{[1] [2]}

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District issued a smoke advisory for South Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, NBC Los Angeles reported. The National Weather Service had forecast northeast winds gusting 35 to 55 mph in inland valleys with humidity of 15% to 25%, according to the North Coast Current. ^{[4] [5]}

What comes next

The fire is burning during a Santa Ana wind event that brought red flag warnings across Southern California on Thursday and Friday. Several other fires started the same afternoon, including the Bryson Fire near Malibu in Los Angeles County, which is a separate incident. Updated acreage, containment and any changes to the I-5 status are expected from Cal Fire's incident page and Camp Pendleton's base advisories. ^{[1] [2] [6]}