Rice Fire was a wildfire that burned from October 22 , 2007 , until November 1 , 2007 , in Fallbrook , California . While not one of the largest fires of the 2007 California wildfire season , only burning , it was one of the most destructive , with 248 structures being destroyed . As the fire grew , it caused major evacuations and the closure of Interstate 15 . The California Public Utilities Commission ruled that in the Rice fire , San Diego Gas and Electric had not trimmed back trees as state law requires . It was also at fault , the commission said , in the Witch and Guejito fires . The power line that caused the Witch fires shorted three times in three hours , but the utility did n't cut power to it for six hours
2007 California wildfire season
2007 California wildfires
Rice Fire