A brush fire at Camp Pendleton has burned 2,600 acres and is 25% contained, with evacuation orders and a partial highway closure on State Route 60. - The Mateo Fire started Monday at 1:30 p.m.
in the Quebec training area at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and has spread into the Cleveland National Forest's Trabuco Ranger District. - As of Tuesday, the fire had burned 2,600 acres and was 25% contained, with crews facing steep, rocky terrain and heavy fuels.
- Evacuation orders were issued for areas near Calimesa in Riverside County, and SR-60 westbound at I-10 was closed. - No threats to life, safety, or infrastructure have been reported at Camp Pendleton, but an air quality alert due to particle pollution from wildfire smoke was issued through Tuesday for parts of San Diego and Riverside counties, including the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley.
- The fire follows the November Fire, a brush fire that broke out at Camp Pendleton days earlier. Firefighters from multiple agencies are working to contain the blaze, and the cause remains under investigation.