A brush fire spread across east of Ramona Thursday, prompting evacuations as crews worked to subdue the flames.

By 2:30 p.m. the blaze had charred 50 acres and was 15%, according to Cal Fire San Diego .

The blaze erupted in the early afternoon off state Route 78, near Casner Road in the Ballena area, Cal Fire said.

Within an hour, the flames had spread over two to five open acres and were posing immediate threats to structures, said Robert Johnson, a CalFire captain.

Officials directed residents living in two zones north of SR-78 to leave their neighborhoods. The area includes Rancho Ballena Road, Slaughterhouse Road, Flying T Ranch Airport.

Evacuees have been directed to the Ramona Rodeo, 422 Aqua Lane. Evacuation warnings are in place to the north of the current evacuation zones.

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