SAN DIEGO — Crews acted fast to keep a brush fire from burning homes along a canyon ridge in Mira Mesa Wednesday afternoon.

San Diego Fire-Rescue said firefighters on the ground and a water-dropping helicopter had managed to knock down the “main body” of the roughly two-acre blaze by 3 p.m. It had been burning in a small canyon south of Los Penasquitos Canyon, off Black Mountain and Mercy Roads, at times within yards of homes there.

Initially, officials said houses along the canyon edge of Polaris Drive were most threatened by the fire. Flames could be seen climbing the hillside and nearly reaching a backyard shortly before 3 p.m., but crews ran a hose line to the area and flew the helicopter overhead, seeming to hold off the fire’s advance.

“Copter 3 dropped water and stopped the immediate threat,” SDFD confirmed on Twitter.

The department said some firefighters would stay in the area, but at that time, the bulk of the firefight became focused on an area near Capcano Road. “We are sending crews to Capcano to protect structures there and bringing in more crews,” the department said on Twitter.

A short time later, SDFD shared the good news that the bulk of the firefight was done.

“The fire came within about 100′ of the condos on Babauta,” an SDFD spokesperson wrote on Twitter, sharing video from the ground. “There are also homes along the ridge behind these flames that were saved by fast firefighter work.”

Crews were expected to remain in the area for several hours mopping up remaining hot spots and keeping the blaze from reigniting. Two helicopters also remained to monitor for flare-ups.