Fire in Atascadero scorches old Walmart property near El Camino Real

Fire crews battled a 2-acre blaze in Atascadero on Friday afternoon on the north side of town in a field near a shopping center.

Atascadero and Cal Fire firefighters responded about 12:45 p.m. to the corner of El Camino Real and Del Rio Road, according to a Cal Fire tweet.

The fire scorched a field just across the street from a shopping center that was once slated for a new Walmart store, according to a city of Atascadero Facebook post.

Walmart canceled its plans for an Atascadero store in February 2017, although the company still owns the vacant property.

The blaze produced a good deal of smoke, and the city evacuated the surrounding area as a safety precaution, according to the post.

Multiple agencies and firefighters were called in due to the extreme heat — temperatures in the North County are expected to top 100 degrees starting on Friday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This story was originally published July 6, 2018 at 1:34 PM.