ESCONDIDO - The historical heart of the San Dieguito River Park was "hit hard" by last week's Witch Creek fire that burned 197,000 acres before it was fully contained Wednesday, park officials said Friday.

Sixty-two percent of the park - approximately 49,600 of 80,000 acres - burned in a fiery path that swept down from Lake Sutherland north of Ramona to Rancho Santa Fe. The blaze also destroyed the 1880s-era Sikes Adobe Historic Farmhouse south of Escondido, near Interstate 15 and Via Rancho Parkway, Dick Bobertz, the park's executive director said.

The park was established in 1989 to preserve the area's natural resources and create recreational opportunities.

The fire caused the "most devastation the park has ever seen," Bobertz said, adding that most of the park escaped the Cedar fire that ripped through much of North County in 2003.

"This time, I'm afraid it was our turn," he said.

The biggest loss, Bobertz said, was the Victorian-era Sikes wooden farmhouse. Only the original adobe walls, built in 1870, remain standing, he said.

Bobertz said the adobe walls probably survived because of steel beams installed during a 2003 restoration project. The beams were required by the city of San Diego, which owns and insures the structure.

As a recognized state historical site, park officials said the farmhouse is eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, and that they will "definitely" work with historical consultants to build a replica of the farmhouse.

"What we rebuild will obviously be a replica, but we have the history of it preserved and we can rebuild it to look exactly as it did before the fire," Bobertz said.

The Sikes were pioneer settlers during the late 1860s in San Diego, about 20 years after California became a state. With their six children, they moved on the property in 1872 and built a one-room adobe structure. The additional rooms of wood that burned last week were added later, according to historical records.

Docents gave frequent tours of the house to school and community groups, using it as a stage to convey what pioneer life was like at the turn of the century, park officials said.

Widespread damage

Almost 25 miles of the park were also affected by the fire, officials said.

Fences, informational kiosks and pedestrian bridges were burned, and most of the park's trails, still littered with downed power lines and other fire hazards, won't reopen for at least six months, said Bobertz.

Trails in the coastal areas west of Rancho Santa Fe and in the Del Mar wetlands area remain open, though, according to Kelly Sarber, a spokeswoman for the San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration Project.

The park's headquarters on Sycamore Creek Road in San Pasqual Valley was also destroyed, said Bobertz, who added that he is currently managing park business out of his home.

Bobertz said that rebuilding and restoration efforts will depend on how quickly insurance and federal funds can be secured. Park officials are still surveying the damage and working with insurance adjusters, but Bobertz said he hopes to see some money in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Bobertz said he is in negotiations with the city of San Diego Water Department to lease the water reclamation plant building in San Pasqual to use as temporary headquarters during rebuilding. He said he hopes to be moved into that location within two weeks.

And, Bobertz said, there is some good news.

Bobertz said plans to convert the Grand Avenue Bridge west of Interstate 5 in Del Mar into an interpretive area that were to begin in several years may get under way sooner.

"While we're rebuilding, we may be able to get a head start on that highly anticipated project," he said.

The area would be ideal for activities such as bird-watching, Bobertz said.

For more information, go to the Web site, www.sdrp.org.

Contact staff writer Darryn Bennett at (760) 740-5420 or dmbennett@nctimes.com.