Firefighters battle 2 brush fires east of Santa Margarita

Two brush fires in Santa Margarita on Monday afternoon were contained without burning any structures, according to Cal Fire.

Officials said the blazes occurred in the area of Highway 58 near Pozo Road. Cal Fire officials said they were at the scene of the fires just before 3:50 p.m.

One fire burned 2.5 acres, and the second fire burned 9 acres. The causes are under investigation.

Forward progress had been stopped on one fire by 3:55 p.m., when crews also reported making “good progress” on the second fire. Both fires were contained by 5 p.m.

The area east of Santa Margarita has recently seen two larger fires, with the Stone Fire burning 340 acres in early July and the Hill Fire burning 1,598 acres in late June. Four homes were destroyed in the Hill Fire.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Firefighters battle 2 brush fires east of Santa Margarita."