Follow-Up: Henderson Fire at Camp Pendleton Reaches 65% Containment as Crews Move to Mop-Up

SAN DIEGO COUNTY — Containment of the Henderson Fire at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton has risen from 50% to 65%, according to an update posted on CAL FIRE's official incident page at 7:50 a.m. on Sunday, October 18. Firefighters worked through the night strengthening containment lines, and crews will continue mop-up operations today, extinguishing hot spots and securing the perimeter to prevent further spread; weather conditions are expected to become more favorable, with higher relative humidity and a shift to onshore winds supporting the effort. The update did not change the fire's size, which remains at the 3,160 acres reported on the evening of October 17. The incident page was last updated at 3:20 p.m. on October 18, and the cause remains under investigation.

Containment in sequence: officials reported 20% on the morning of October 17, 35% at 5:40 p.m. that day, 50% by that evening, and 65% on the morning of October 18. Evacuations and roads saw no new changes: the update issued no new evacuation orders or warnings — the order for the base's Las Flores (41 Area) was lifted at 7:31 p.m. on October 15, and no evacuation orders have been issued for surrounding off-base communities at any point — and Interstate 5, twice closed in both directions by flames and smoke, fully reopened on the afternoon of October 16, with no new closure mentioned. In an October 17 evening briefing, officials said fire activity had become minimal as crews took advantage of weakening winds to strengthen lines and extinguish interior hot spots, and that a planning meeting had been held with base command on the days ahead.

The Camp Pendleton Fire Department holds jurisdiction over the fire, supported by a San Diego County Type 3 incident management team and cooperating agencies including the CAL FIRE San Diego Unit. The fire began at 2:35 p.m. on October 15 near Henderson Street and Brown Street on the base and grew quickly under easterly winds: it was mapped at 1,404 acres that evening, prompting the 41 Area evacuation order and the first I-5 closure; on October 16 it reached about 2,080 acres with containment still at zero and I-5 closed in both directions a second time, before containment rose to 20% and the freeway fully reopened that evening; on October 17, mapping revised the size up to 3,132 acres in the morning and 3,160 acres by evening, with containment at 50%. By the morning of October 18, containment had reached 65% and the work had shifted to mop-up.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：Henderson Fire 态势图，Watch Duty 截图（10月16日13时50分截取，本轮重新裁切）。图中红色周界为截取时的火场范围（2,079.4英亩），西南侧橄榄色区域为疏散分区；最新官方数据以正文为准：过火面积3,160英亩（10月17日晚官方数据，本轮未调整）、控制率65%（加州消防局 CAL FIRE 官方事故页10月18日上午7时50分通报）。图片来源：Watch Duty。Situation map of the Henderson Fire, Watch Duty screenshot taken at 1:50 p.m. on Oct. 16 (re-cropped for this update). The red perimeter reflects mapping at capture time (2,079.4 acres), with the evacuation zone shaded olive at the southwest; the latest official figures are in the text: 3,160 acres (Oct. 17 evening figure, unchanged in this update) and 65% containment, per CAL FIRE's incident-page update at 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 18. Source: Watch Duty.

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