While Wildfires Raged in San Diego County

The two original fires that started Sunday at Harris Ranch near the Mexican border, and at Witch Creek in the mountains about 40 miles north, have multiplied into about ten fires. Highways, including, Interstate 8 that is an east-west route near me, were closed yesterday off and on due to strong winds. Many other roads are closed because of both wind and fires. Power is on again here in Boulevard, 70 miles east of San Diego, but it is still out in many other places closer to the coast. Power was out here at Boulevard only 24 hours, so food in freezers didn’t thaw much. That must be a relief to Kelli, the Chaldean Iraqi who owns the small supermarket and gas pumps five miles away down at Live Oak Springs. He lost money from spoiled food during the last big power outage during the fires of 2003.

The winds are down a little in most areas from yesterday’s 35 to 60 mph winds with gusts up to 80 mph blowing the fire relentlessly westward toward greater San Diego for two days. Although it is cool here in the Laguna Mountains, the temperatures in the 80s or higher occurred in the coastal area. The wind is expected to reverse sometime tomorrow, and blow from the ocean causing lower temperatures and humidity. That will be a relief, but also a renewed danger to the eastern part of the county from of the possibility of fire turning back into evacuated areas and destroying homes that were spared on Sunday and Monday.

The biggest positive thing today is that aircraft are able to get into the air to drop water and retardant on the fire. Yesterday they had 50 aircraft ready to go, but the wind kept them grounded until today. Except for a few places, the fires raged on, uncontrolled. Today is better, and planes and helicopters from several sources, including military, are doing a lot to stem the surge of the fires.

While the power was out, Jane and I were kept in the dark in more ways than one. We had candles, oil lamps and flashlights to see by, but we didn’t know what was going on anywhere than here. At mid-morning we decided to go for breakfast at the new La Posta Indian casino where there is an IHOP restaurant attached. We drove there by way of the shortcut about five miles over the mountain on dirt roads to get to a short strip of blacktop that goes by the casino. When we parked away from the wildly weaving light poles, I discovered that I couldn’t walk against the wind. A burly Indian security guard at the door saw my plight and came out and helped me in.

Inside, a cheerful lady urged us to sign up for gambling cards so that we would be entitled to discount coupons. She offered 25% off on our meals, and a $25 coupon to gamble. Because it is my birthday on Saturday, she put in $10 more. How could I lose? I signed up and after eating breakfast and watching television, we used the gambling coupons. I won $33.50 from that $25 coupon. Wow! That was the money I needed to fill my gas tank!

While eating and catching up on the news, we learned the astonishing and horrifying news about the fire. It had advanced fast and far toward the most populated parts of the county, and at the same time it was creeping north toward Riverside and Orange Counties. So many people have lost their homes! So many miraculous rescues of people and animals! So many rescue shelters already full to capacity with people and animals. There are over 300,000 displaced people and the numbers are rising.

Rancho Bernardo, just north of San Diego, is the hardest hit area so far. Over 300 homes in this twenty-year-old upscale community have been burned down. A popular local reporter, Larry Himmel, lost his home there. He was on duty the same day as he stood in the driveway next to the ashes of his home and calmly described how it happened. He usually reports things of an amusing nature, but there was nothing funny about what happened to him and his family yesterday. He said they saved their pets, themselves, and some pictures, and the rest was just stuff. One cool dude is Larry Himmel.

In another shot we watched a small, and presumably pretty reporter, outfitted with large goggles and a mouth and nose mask to protect her from smoky particulates, being buffeted by the wind as she described the destructive blaze behind her. As she talked, the cameraman panned down and showed her feet that had been weighted down with sandbags to keep her from blowing away.

The wind was even stronger when we left the casino, and it took two burly Indian security guards to get us safely back to our pickup. As we drove up the mountain on the way home, we stopped and looked back to see huge flames licking toward the moonlit sky at the site of a fire twenty miles away in Descanso. The fire diminished as we watched, showing us that firefighters were on the job putting it out.

Now, the evening of the next day, conditions and events are changing by the hour, so I will stop to watch the local news and continue in another article tomorrow.