Five engines and about two dozen firefighters from Cal Fire's Madera/Mariposa/Merced unit met up in Northwest Fresno, just off of Highway 99.
They're heading to San Diego area to backfill for other firefighters who are currently battling flames in the Banning/Beaumont area.
At least 22 hundred acres have burned since the fire started Saturday, and valley firefighters don't know how long they'll be gone.
"With the fire activity we've had recently there in the last few days, there is a danger. And we'll be gone as long as needed," Chris Christopherson of Madera/Mariposa/Merced Cal Fire said.
More than a hundred firefighters from Fresno and Tulare Counties also headed south this weekend. The fire is currently about 60 percent contained.
