The last time it was this dry in January, there were barely more than 500 people in San Diego. The year was 1850, and only a quarter-inch of rain had fallen in six months. It made the region ripe for wildfire — but that wasn’t much of a concern. The city’s population was clustered along the coast, far from the backcountry, where most fires burned.

Firefighters are responding Wednesday to a brush fire in Rancho Bernardo. The fire started around 8:55 a.m. near Bernardo Center Drive and Camino del Norte, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue, which was responding alongside Poway Fire.