Lightning strikes ignite more than 100 palm trees in San Pasqual Valley

A series of lightning strikes early Tuesday sparked a fire at a grove of palm trees in San Pasqual Valley, burning more than 100 trees, fire officials said.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at the property off Highland Valley Road. The trees caught fire after there were “multiple lightning strikes” in the area, said sheriff’s Lt. Jason Phillips.

Fire crews from Escondido, San Diego and Cal Fire responded and put out the blaze, which charred around 2 acres. It did not spread to any structures, officials said.

“Crews worked quickly and were able to keep the fire from spreading to another grove nearby,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Candace Hadley. She said no one was injured in the blaze.

Several roads in the area were closed as fire crews worked to put out the fire. Streets reopened to traffic shortly after 5 a.m., Phillips said.

Some Cal Fire firefighters returned to the site around 8:30 a.m. after a couple of trees were reported to be still smouldering, a Cal Fire spokesperson said.