Crews knock back Pacifica wildfire

A six-alarm vegetation fire that prompted evacuations in Pacifica early Monday morning has been contained, a fire inspector said.

The blaze began at about 5 a.m. and prompted the evacuation of 80 to 90 homes near Fassler Avenue, North County Fire Authority Inspector Clyde Preston said. The fire was fully contained by about 7:30 a.m. and residents will be allowed to return to their homes around 8:30 a.m., Preston said.

About 40 residents went to an evacuation center that had been set up at the Pacifica Community Center at 540 Crespi Drive, he said. Fire crews will be in the area all day today to cut live and burned vegetation and to put out any small fires that might spark back up, Preston said.

The blaze burned in steep terrain and there was still a lot of smoke in the area as of shortly before 8 a.m., he said. No injuries were reported in the fire. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.