San Diego County: Henderson Fire on Camp Pendleton — I-5 Reopened After Smoke Closures, Agency Reports

SAN DIEGO COUNTY — October 17, 2026. The Henderson Fire began October 15 in the Camp Pendleton area near Henderson Street and Brown Street, according to incident information provided through CAL FIRE. It is separate from California’s precautionary staging of firefighters across 14 counties.

What the latest dated incident update says

The incident page listed 2,079 acres and 20% containment in its latest October 16 update at 10:38 p.m. The agency said California Highway Patrol had reopened northbound and southbound Interstate 5 by 5:14 p.m. October 16 following temporary closures caused by active fire and smoke. Another nearby blaze, the Scales Fire, was reported along the freeway. Road conditions can change after this snapshot. Read the original CAL FIRE incident timeline and check its latest timestamp ↗.

What local readers need to know

This fire was reported on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. It is not a report of an incident in Ramona, Julian, Campo or Borrego Springs. Drivers traveling toward Interstate 5 and Camp Pendleton should consult Caltrans QuickMap and CHP rather than relying on older closure notices.

Wildfire data, road restrictions and evacuation warnings change. Confirm your own address with the local fire department, sheriff and emergency alert system; if in immediate danger call 911. Cal Alerts can help identify local alert subscriptions, while AirNow reports smoke conditions.

Statewide and county context

Separately, California’s emergency management agency deployed extra firefighting resources in 14 counties as a precaution. Read California58’s statewide report for those allocations and other confirmed wildfires →. A highlighted county in that resource map is not a wildfire perimeter.

Sources: CAL FIRE incident page and updates; Cal OES Oct. 16 preparedness bulletin. Incident numbers are dated to the updates cited above. No advertising or affiliate links accompany this report.

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