80-acre brush fire in Sorrento Valley prompts multiple evacuations
Evacuation orders were issued in Sorrento Valley on Monday morning because of a fast-moving brush fire that quickly grew to 80 acres. The fire was stopped and 20% contained at 3 p.m., according to the San Diego Fire Department.
Evacuees were directed to the parking lots outside of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, then told to cross Regents Road to reach Mandell Weiss Eastgate City Park. Many chose to remain in their cars while water from a faulty sprinkler system flowed over the hot asphalt below.
The Office of Emergency Services had a coordinator on site, handing out water while helping connect residents to emergency services, such as the American Red Cross. They arranged for the Humane Society to hand out food to owners for their pets.
Ray Lane is a resident of Torrey Hills, a neighborhood with two areas that received evacuation orders at 10:17 a.m. in the south and, later, at 10:48 a.m. in the north.
He was first alerted by the Watch Duty app soon after the fire sparked, but couldn’t smell anything or see anything but clear, blue skies. When the order came through, his family gathered their essential belongings.
“I had to actively believe that the information I was getting was accurate, that we were somehow in danger even though our senses weren’t telling us that,” Lane said.
Luna, his 18-pound cat, fought every step of the way as they tried to evacuate. After diving under the sofa and clawing through Lane’s protective gloves, she was finally caught by her scruff and put into the family’s car – packed alongside another senior cat and two chihuahuas.
“You have to focus your attention on the greater threat, which at that moment was Luna,” Lane said, holding up his bandaged right hand. “We have four pets. One of our cats is 19; we don’t even take her to the vet anymore, she can’t handle it. Luna is like a wildcat: very, very difficult to get into a carrier.”
Lane’s son lives in Mira Mesa, and his daughter was away at class. He called both of them to ensure they were safe, then turned his attention to the neighborhood.
“Everyone else was packing their cars up and down the street. It looked like the fire was moving east,” Lane said. “The immediate access to the freeway was pretty backed up, so we had to use another ramp to get on I-5. I hope they’re able to contain it so it doesn’t affect any homes.”
» Originally published by Times of San Diego on June 8, 2026.