A brush fire that broke out just north of the California State University, San Bernardino campus burned through 50 acres Friday afternoon as two people were detained in the area, according to authorities.
At 2:23 p.m., San Bernardino County fire officials said the blaze had burned through just 3 acres. About 40 minutes later, fire officials announced the fire had grown to 50 acres and was 0 percent contained.
Just before 6 p.m., officials said the blaze — dubbed the North Park Fire — had reached 25 percent containment. Two hours later, it was 48 percent contained.
Two people were detained as the wildfire continued to burn, according to CSU San Bernardino police. But the individuals were released after being questioned, officials with the San Bernardino National Forest said.
CSU San Bernardino officials said there was no threat to the campus and the fire was located behind Murillo Family Observatory, a teaching and research observatory of the college that sits on Badger Hill in a northern area of campus.
While officials said the wildfire was also not a threat to nearby structures, they said it was spreading at a “rapid rate” as it continued to travel north. It was burning through medium to heavy vegetation that’s extremely dry, officials said.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation as more than 150 personnel battled it on the ground, fire officials said. Two helicopters and two air tankers were also being used to assist their efforts.
Officials with the San Bernardino National Forest and San Bernardino County Fire Department were both taking part in the firefighting efforts.