The Harris Fire was a major

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

in southern San Diego County that began on October 21, 2007, which burned in southeastern San Diego County before it was contained on November 5. Hotspots persisted until the fire was extinguished on November 16, making the Harris Fire the last of the

October 2007 California wildfires The October 2007 California wildfires, also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm, were a series of about thirty wildfires (17 of which became major wildfires) that began igniting across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 h ...

to be extinguished. As the Harris Fire burned, it traveled in a northwest direction from its starting point at Harris Ranch Road in the town of Potrero, located in the far south of San Diego County, near

Tecate Tecate () is a city in Tecate Municipality, Baja California. It is across the Mexico-US border from Tecate, California. As of 2019, the city had a population of 108,860 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area has a population of 132,406 inhab ...

, Mexico. The wildfire was the second-largest one of the October 2007 California wildfires, behind only the

Witch Fire The Witch Creek Fire, also known as the Witch Fire and the Witch-Guejito–Poomacha Complex Fire, was the second-largest wildfire of the 2007 California wildfire season, and the largest one of the October 2007 California wildfires. Although the ...

. The cause of the Harris Fire is unknown. The Harris Fire was the deadliest one of the October 2007 wildfires, killing eight people.

The fire

At 9:23 AM PDT on October 21, 2007, the Harris Fire ignited in Potrero, southeastern San Diego County, near the Mexican border. On October 23, the fire approached eastern

Chula Vista Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popu ...

. The fire resulted in the evacuation of some nearby communities, with evacuation centers set up at a nearby high school and a community center. Thomas James Varshock, 52, of Potrero, died on his property during the Harris Fire on Sunday. His teenage son suffered burn injuries, along with four firefighters of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, who had attempted to rescue them. The fire may also have led to the deaths of four illegal migrants near the U.S.–Mexico border. An estimated 1,210 firefighters battled this fire. The Harris Fire also burned into northern Mexico, near the city of

. On November 5, 2007, the Harris Fire was 100% contained. Hotspots persisted within the perimeter of the fire until November 16, when the last hotspot was finally extinguished.

References

External links

Largest fires in San Diego County history
- ABC 10News
Southern California's Worst Brush Fires
{{California wildfires by deaths 2007 California wildfires History of San Diego County, California Wildfires in San Diego County, California

The fire

See also

References

External links