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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire burned more than 1,000 acres Wednesday on a Marine Corps range used to train Marines in explosives disposal, forcing firefighters to work late into the night as flames spread on the massive base 40 miles north of San Diego.
Marine officials said they did not know the cause of the fire or whether training was going on at the range when the blaze began. Maj. Kristen Lasica said it was not immediately clear if explosives remained in the training field.
The fire began in the afternoon and burned uncontrolled, aided by winds as it moved toward the base's golf course, said Capt. Nick Schuler, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire.
"Crews are optimistic, but keeping in mind the dry weather conditions, there are no guarantees," said Schuler.
The fire was not threatening any buildings, but the golf course was evacuated as a precaution, said Marine Cpl. Priscilla Vitale, a base spokeswoman.
Billowing smoke could be seen about 25 miles away from the base, as far as San Juan Capistrano to the north and Solana Beach to the south.
It was not immediately known how the fire started or whether training was in progress when the fire started, Vitale said.
"It's putting up quite a bit of smoke," Schuler said.
Firefighters with the Marines and state forestry department battled the blaze with the help of a helicopter from the San Diego Fire Department and two air tankers from San Diego County, Schuler said.
Power was shut off in some areas of the base to allow firefighters to burn firelines, said Vitale.
Camp Pendleton, one of the largest bases in the country, takes up 125,000 acres in northern San Diego County. It is home to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The Marine Corps established the base in 1942.
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