Firefighters battle brush fires Tuesday afternoon in Grantville and Otay Mesa

Firefighters were battling a brush fire in the Grantville area Tuesday afternoon that sent up a plume of smoke that could be seen for miles, authorities said.

The blaze was reported at 1:07 p.m. in an area near San Diego Mission Road and Fairmount Avenue. The first crew arrived six minutes later, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Nearly 50 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, including three helicopters and two brush rigs. Firefighters from Poway and El Cajon also assisted on the call.

By 1:30 p.m., the blaze had charred around a half-acre of brush in the San Diego river bottom, which has heavy fuel, department spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said.

“They put together a team of brush engines to handle this fire,” she said, adding: “No evacuations at this point.”

Later in the afternoon, a second fire sparked in the city, this time in South County. Fire crews responded about 3:30 p.m. to a brush fire on Airway Road near Caliente Avenue in Otay Mesa, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Flames had burned about 1.5 acres as of 4:15 p.m., but no structures were threatened and no roads were closed in the area, according to the Fire-Rescue Department.

Nearly 70 firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the blaze, according to the agency.