Officials said the fire, which had spread to more than 500 acres by Thursday night, was miles away from threatening any homes or buildings.

A wildfire in the hills near the U.S.-Mexico border exploded early Friday morning over thousands of acres, prompting evacuation orders throughout the Otay Wilderness Area and triggering school closures as well as likely power shutoffs for tens of thousands of people.

Cal Fire crews are battling a brush fire that erupted on Otay Mountain Thursday afternoon. The fire, which has been named the “Border 2 Fire,” was reported after 2:15 p.m. in the area of Otay Mountain Truck Trail in the Otay Wilderness Area.