Thousands flee as fires close freeways, schools and businesses

By: Staff and wire Reports
Fire captain: 'A lot of people are going to lose their homes today' | Friday, October 26, 2007 3:37 PM PDT ∞

MARK THORNHILL North County Times Map updated at 5:45 p.m. Monday
Go to cad.chp.ca.gov for a complete, real-time listing of road closures, crashes and traffic hazards by the California Highway Patrol. Roads closed because of Ramona-area wildfire include:
- Highway 78 at Magnolia Avenue
- Highway 78 at Rancho Santa Teresa
- Highway 79 at Highway 78
- Old Julian Highway at Vista Ramona Road
- Highway 79 at Highway 76
---- Source: California Highway Patrol, as of 10:45 p.m.
Contacts and updates:
24-hour Community, Health and Disaster Information: Dial 211
County General Information Line: (858) 694-3900
County Office of Emergency Services fire updates: www.sdcountyemergency.com
San Diego Gas & Electric Co.: www.sdge.com
California Highway Patrol traffic and road closure information: cad.chp.ca.gov
County Animal Services emergency information: (619) 767-2675

Firestorms raged throughout San Diego County today, prompting the evacuations of an estimated 300,000 people, the loss of untold dozens of homes and damage costs expected to run into the hundreds of millions.

Shortly before 2 p.m., officials ordered the evacuation of the entire Fallbrook area, adding an estimated 40,000 people to the throngs forced from their homes over the last two days.

Similar evacuation orders were continuing in areas around North County, including new commands to flee being issued in Escondido this afternoon.

To the south, the fire continued to burn into Rancho Santa Fe, fueling fears that flames could reach the coast.

"It's probably the worst fire this county has even seen," San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender said.

As new blazes flared up, a lack of available fire crews was being reported in several areas.

Residences and outbuildings have been lost in East and North County from blazes burning in Escondido, Rancho Santa Fe, Fallbrook, Scripps Ranch, Poway, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo, Ramona and in a swath of East County.

"We have more houses burning than we have people and engine companies to fight them," said San Diego Fire Captain Lisa Blake. "A lot of people are going to lose their homes today."

The growing blaze in Fallbrook that started early Monday had fire crews making what one termed a "last stand."

All residents of Ramona, Rancho Santa Fe, Fallbrook and those in parts of Escondido, San Marcos, Poway, Scripps Ranch and Olivenhein were under mandatory evacuations at points during the day. Some of those orders, such as an evacuation for San Marcos's San Elijo Hills, had been lifted by 4 p.m

The La Costa area of Carlsbad was under an evacuation advisory mid-Monday. People in other areas not immediately affected were warned to be ready to flee, including Solana Beach residents on the coast.

Schools and businesses throughout the county were shuttered, and all San Diego County public schools will be closed at least through Tuesday. All school athletic events have been postponed.

Two hospitals in North County also were evacuated.

Roads closures and periodic shutdowns of Interstate 15 and other major arterials led to numerous traffic jams and motorists trying to determine how to get home or away from the fires.

Afternoon fire picture

In Escondido, at several homes were burning Monday afternoon near Westfield Shoppingtown.

At 3 p.m., city officials ordered the evacuation of southwest Escondido from Via Rancho Parkway north to Hamilton and west to Valley Parkway, including the Summercreek subdivision.

In northeast Escondido, residents of Mountain View north to Citrus to Bear Valley Parkway up to Lake Wohlford Road and Hidden Trails also were being evacuated.

Escondido Fire Chief Vic Reed said 25 homes have been lost in the Lake Wohlford and Guejita Road area, as well as 17 homes in Lomas Serenas. The lost homes in Escondido alone have an estimated value of more than $20 million, according to city officials.

Flames also were spotted on the hillsides near Anaheim and Groten streets off of Mary Lane by San Pasqual High School shortly after noon, resident Diane Hill reported.

"We don't even have one fire truck responding," said Diane Hill, who said she had called 9-1-1 but was told no crews were available.

More than 1,000 firefighters from around the West were on their way to join the fire lines already manned by thousands of firefighters, county fire officials said.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Deputy Chief Steve Heil said two Navy Seahawk helicopters are joining other firefighting helicopters working the blazes. Poor visibility and the winds kept air tankers grounded through much of the morning.

In Fallbrook, an evacuation first ordered for Rainbow and Pala Mesa area residents expanded to include the entire town by 2 p.m.

The Fallbrook fire started near Rice Canyon Road. Numerous houses and several residences at Valley Oaks Mobile Home Park had been lost by mid-afternoon.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Metcalf said the blaze raged out of control after jumping I-15 and burned north toward downtown Fallbrook, prompting the evacuation order.

"There's not much resource," Metcalf of available fire crews there. "It's pretty slim right now."

At one point, flames were about 200 yards from homes on the Pala Mesa Golf Course. Air tankers were spotted dropping retardant.

At least one home had been lost, said John Buchanan of the North County Fire Protection District, and one person was airlifted to a hospital.

Residents were told to flee through the community known as the "Friendly Village" through the Fallbrook Naval Weapons Station at Ammunition Road.

Winds continue

The acreage estimate for the Witch Creek Fire, which started east of Ramona Sunday morning, climbed to 18,000 acres by mid-Monday morning. Embers from that fire carried by the winds sparked the new blazes that broke out in Escondido, San Marcos and Rancho Santa Fe Monday.

"It's already burned homes in San Pasqual and is burning homes in Rancho Bernardo and is heading into the Rancho Santa Fe area," Ron Lane, director of the county's Office of Emergency Services, said Monday morning.

Thick, choking smoke from the conflagration involving more than 130,000 populated and open acres countywide, billowed over the region, which is under a local and state emergency declaration as firefighters battled as many as six distinct blazes.

In East County, a blaze that started Sunday and was dubbed the Harris fire also continued to rage with little containment.

Officials warn the Santa Ana wind-driven flames and blowing embers could prove more deadly and destructive than the 2003 Cedar and Paradise fires, which killed 15 people, destroyed more than 400 homes and blackened hundreds of thousands of acres.

Low humidity and coupled with the high winds led to the firestorm and ongoing Red Flag warnings of fire danger throughout Southern California.

One death

This fires have resulted in one fatality recorded in East County Sunday and at least 19 injuries. Four firefighters were hurt in the Harris blaze in the Potrero area of East County. It claimed the life of one resident and left one firefighter in a coma in a San Diego burn center.

There was no immediate estimate on how many structures had been lost throughout the county.

County Fire Coordinator Chief Bill Metcalf said the areas with the most structure losses occurred in southern portions of Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, north Poway and the 4S Ranch area west of Rancho Bernardo.

Sheriff Kolender urged people to promptly obey evacuation orders, noting that some firefighters were called off the front lines overnight to herd people out of harm's way.

"Realize that your life is more important than any property you have," Kolender said.

Kolender also stressed that people should limit their cellular telephone use to prevent system overload that could hamper emergency communications.

Roads

As of noon, I-15 was closed from Highway 79 in Temecula to south of Highway 56 in San Diego, said Eric Newbury, an officer with the California Highway Patrol.

Interstate 5 and Highways 78 and 56 were open but clogged as of noon.

Road and freeway closures and reopenings changed throughout the day depending on the local conditions.

Hospitals

Pomerado Hospital in Poway was evacuated Monday morning and Fallbrook Hospital evacuated a few hours later.

Pomerado Hospital spokesman Gustavo Friederichsen emphasized that neither that facility nor Villa Pomerado skilled-nursing center faced any immediate threats. However, he said, personnel at the two facilities were using buses and ambulances to move an estimated 176 patients ---- or about 88 from each facility to five San Diego-area hospitals.

They were Sharp Memorial Hospital in Kearny Mesa, Sharp Grossmont Hospital in East County, Kaiser Hospital in Mission Gorge, and Alvarado Hospital in the college area of La Mesa.

Patients could also be sent to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, if need be, he said.

He also made a plea for people who have been told to evacuate their homes not to come to Pomerado Hospital.

"You can imagine we're trying to evacuate patients," Friederichsen said Monday morning. "But we're getting a number of people just walking in 'cause they don't know where to go. The (emergency room) is full."

Evacuations, places to go

In San Marcos, the evacuation area covered Coronado and Discovery Hills sections along Attebury and Deadwood roads with residents told to head to the evacuation center at Escondido High School, Lane said.

The City of San Diego issued its own precautionary evacuation order for a vast region stretching from I-5 to the west, I-15 to the east, Highway 56 to the south and Via de la Valle to the north.

Evacuation centers also have been established at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego where 10,000 people were gathered, at the Poway Community Center on Civic Center Drive, and at Mission Hills High School in San Marcos. Other centers are expected to open later today, including several area churches.

At Mission Hills in San Marcos, a San Elijo resident Jesse Webb said he has his family went to bed Sunday night thinking they would be OK.

"In less than a day, we are in hell," said Jesse Webb, who had to flee his home Monday morning along with his wife, two children and mother.

Authorities began evacuating patients from Pomerado Hospital and an adjacent nursing center shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, using school buses and ambulances to transport them to other hospitals as flames barrelled down on this city of about 50,000 people.

Areas of Valley Center and San Pasqual also were under and evacuation order Monday afternoon.

Utilities, airport

Some 30,000 homes and businesses across San Diego County lost electricity Monday.

Outages hit communities from Del Mar to Valley Center, though power was expected to return Monday afternoon to these and other areas not immediately in the paths of the swift-spreading fires.

The largest of the fires destroyed utility poles and blew fuses in Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos and Highland Valley, leaving thousands of locations without electricity, a spokeswoman for San Diego Gas & Electric said.

Most of those areas were already under evacuation orders, and the utility didn't have an immediate estimate of when power would return.

Power was expected to return to more than 2,000 customers each in Rancho Penasquitos and Fallbrook, and more than 1,000 customer near Daley Ranch in Escondido by midafternoon , according to a continuously updated map the utility has posted at http://tinyurl.com/98pll.

San Diego International Airport's Lindbergh Field, the major commercial airport in San Diego, remained open Monday afternoon.

Military

Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and Camp Pendleton had suspended many of their regular acitivies.

Camp Pendleton officials urged troops and their families to call the base's information hotline at (866) 430)-2764, watch the base's TV station: KPEN TV Channel 18, or visit the Camp Pendleton Web site at www.cpp.usmc.mil.

Livestock

Horses, cattle and other large animals were being housed at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and at the Poway Valley Riders Association Arena, also known as the Poway Rodeo Grounds.

At the Del Mar Fairgrounds, an evacuation center for people and animals filled rapidly with all 1,800 animal stalls full by noon.

More information is available by calling the county's emergency system at 211.

Major wildfires in Southern California:

Harris Fire: 14,000 acres about 70 miles southeast of San Diego north of the border town of Tecate. Zero containment. Unknown number of structures destroyed. One civilian killed, 15 people injured, including four firefighters.

Witch Fire: 10,000 acres in northern San Diego County between Ramona and Santa Ysabel. 5 percent contained. Community of Ramona, population about 36,000, evacuated. No homes destroyed and no reports of any injuries.

Canyon Fire: 12,500 acres in northeastern Los Angeles County south of Agua Dulce. Zero containment. Between 500 to 800 people evacuated. 25 structures destroyed. Three people injured. 900 homes without power.

Malibu Fire: 1,200 acres in coastal community of Malibu. Zero containment. About 1,500 people evacuated. Five homes destroyed as well as two commercial buildings, including a church. Nine homes damaged. No injuries reported.

Orange County Fire: 3,800 acres in Orange County east of Irvine. 5 percent containment. No homes destroyed and no reports of any injuries.

Ranch Fire: 29,000 acres near Piru in Ventura County. 10 percent containment. About 200 evacuated. One homes destroyed and no reports of any injuries.

Sedgewick Fire: 710 acres near Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County. 50 percent contained. No evacuations. No homes destroyed and no reports of any injuries.