What to KnowAcres burned: 236Road closures: Both directions of I-8 are closed at Ribbonwood and Crestwood. Imperial Highway near Ocotillo has been closed.Evacuation orders are underway hereEvacuation point: The Golden Acorn Casino at 1800 Golden Acorn WaySome SDGE customers in the area have lost pow er A brush fire in the southeast San Diego County community of Boulevard prompted evacuation orders and a closure of Interstate 8 amid a heat wave on Wednesday evening. Both directions of I-8 have been closed at Ribbonwood and Crestwood due to the fire, Cal Fire said. Caltrans closed Imperial Highway to prevent further traffic from going up the mountain and towards the flames, according to the California Highway Patrol. Evacuations of nearby homes are in effect, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said. For a map of the areas being evacuated, click here. The Golden Acorn Casino is the evacuation point, officials said. The Thorn Fire quickly grew to 50 acres after starting as a structure fire that spread into vegetation, according to Cal Fire. By about 5 p.m. the flames jumped over the I-8 toward Campo and is immediately threatening structures. The fire started near 2500 Buckthorn Trail in Boulevard and has been burning with a moderate rate of spread in heavy fuels. Footage from SkyRanger 7 showed huge plumes of black and white smoke rising into the air from the Thorn Fire. Firefighters are attacking the flames on with aerial support. Around 3:45 p.m. about 130 San Diego Gas and Electric customers in the area near Live Oak Springs lost power, according to the SDGE outage website. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District issued an active smoke advisory for those around Live Oak Springs, Boulevard, Tierra Del Sol and McCain Valley around 5:30 p.m. This means that the air quality levels are unhealthy for sensitive groups and may be unhealthy for all people, according to the district. Smoke fills the air from a wildfire over the I-8 near Campo, July 15, 2026. This is a developing story and will be updated with more details. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less