A wildfire near Brengle Terrace Park in Vista forced dozens of families to evacuate Sunday morning as flames threatened nearby homes. Malia Lamaku saw smoke from the other side of a hill near her home on Oak Street. “It was just a huge cloud of smoke, gray dark smoke. I couldn’t see the flame s,” she said. The fire spread quickly not long after sunrise, initially burning more than 100 feet along a row of trees and coming close to apartments and town homes. Lamaku knew it was time to leave with her sister, mother, dog and six cats. “ I felt relief (once we left). We have all of our animals and everything. So, worse case, everything we need is with us.” Lamaku said. Malia Lamaku stands with her pets safe in the family car. She evacuated with her mother and sister, Sunday, to Vista High School, Vista, Calif., September 6, 2026. Philip Escobedo and his 8-year-old son, Ryker, smelled something suspicious before evacuating from their home in the Alta Vista neighborhood. “The smell was like somebody doing a bon fire. Then I heard the alert with the evacuation warning (on my phone),” Philip Escobedo said. “Our neighbor told us (the fire) was in the park a couple of miles down the street and we gotta evacuate,” his son said. Evacuated families were directed to Vista High School, where a temporary shelter was set up as part of the community’s safety plan. Matthew Doyle, superintendent of the Vista Unified School District, said the campus has been designated as a community school. “Maybe it’s a blessing that it’s a little drizzly (today),” Doyle told NBC 7 after welcoming families. “Our main focus is to keep our families safe, and provide for them. As you know, families have a variety of needs.” Doyle said. Families were given snacks while they waited at Vista High School, Sunday, until an evacuation ordered was lifted, Vista, Calif., September 6, 2026. Less than two hours after the fire began, it was out and people were allowed to return home. Among those safe were the Lamaku family’s pets. “They’ve been doing a lot better, especially just sitting here,” Malia said. “They’ve calmed down and understand they’re safe.” The evacuation order was lifted, with no property damage or injuries reported. As of Sunday afternoon, investigators with the Vista Fire Department were still looking into what caused the fire. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less