Posted on 10/22/2007 8:06:14 AM PDT by Sleeping Freeper
SAN DIEGO -- With fire spreading quickly westward, San Diego County officials ordered the evacuation of a huge area east of Interstate 15 between Del Dios Highway and Highway 56 early Mon"This is the worst fire this county has ever seen -- worse than the Cedar Fire [of 2003]," Sheriff Bill Kolender said.
At a news conference shortly after 6 a.m., officials said fires had spread dramatically overnight, whipped by fierce Santa Ana winds. They said fire had jumped Interstate 15 at Lake Hodges and was burning in parts of Rancho Bernardo. Because of the explosive and unpredictable nature of the blazes, all residents living between Interstate 15 and Interstate 5 from Del Dios Highway in the north to Highway 56 in the south were told to begin evacuating.
"This fire is moving very quickly," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said. "Watch TV, listen to the radio and have your car prepared to leave."
Among the communities in the evacuation area are Rancho Sante Fe, Carmel Highlands, Rancho Bernardo, Del Mar Heights and Fairbanks Ranch and parts of Rancho Penasquitos.
Officials have opened Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley to handle the large number of evacuees.
Sanders asked everyone in San Diego County to minimize the use of cell phones to leave the airways free for the use of emergency personnel.day.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsandiego.com ...
My ex-husband lives right where 905 and 805 meet. I don’t like him much, but I hope he’s safe anyway.
Is that you Sandy? lol just kidding..
HAARP again??
I thought it only worked for hurricanes and tornados—wildfires (though I have my tin foil hat on since I heard that the cause might be ‘downed power lines’) too? Dang, I was wondering where Karl Rove has been lately...
/sarc
Is that you Sandy?
LMAO!
Choppers up now in Malibu,,,
SD fires will have burned to the ocean in 24hrs. at the rate their goin’...
I’m in Escondido. The fire came down the riverbed going into lake Hodges and took out several of the estate houses on the Beethoven street hill just east of the mall, right above Lake Hodges. It then crossed the I15 and took out a couple of houses south of Via Rancho Parkway just west of the freeway. The flanks are now showing up and we’ve lost a few more residences on the extreme east end of town, near San Pasqual Road. The area above the Wild Animal Park is threatened at the moment, and the eastern end of the city just north of Highway 78, plus the new Hidden Hills project at the extreme eastern end of Washington Street are at risk. Fortunately, being the flanks, the fire’s arriving slowly and the locals are having a pretty good outcome so far.
Hey there you!!! Nice surprise on a tough day...pleasure to see you, ma’am..
Unfortunately all I see is a red x. My work probably blocked it.
I spoke with him for about 20 seconds before noon Central Daylight Time.
LOL! :-)
What is scary, is the tall Eucalyptus and other trees the fire may reach as it heads west. Those trees are all over the hills around Rancho Santa Fe, and will go up like matchsicks...................
You have FRmail
I finally came up with my evacuation plan, if it should somehow jump 905 or 805 I will put my papers and valuables in my car, head out, grab my friends dog, fill up a cooler with ice and drinks, head out to Coronado and watch from the Silver Strand or go to Coronado and watch it on TV in a nice pub......if it jumps the bay to Coronado, I’ll comandeer a boat and head for sea or kiss my koolo adios....
Is it possible the kids were trying to create a fire break? If close to the school, that’s a possibility, since it really is one of the best ways to save a building that’s in the path of a fire. Not saying they really ought to be doing that on their own, but in a situation where every media outlet is saying there are no more fire trucks or personnel available to respond to additional locations, I can see where some high school kids might decide to try to be heroes and handle the situation themselves.
If they were doing it where people could see them, either they were well-intentioned and thought they prove it if challenged, or they were volunteering to spend many many years in prison — because if they could be seen, they could be photographed, and teenagers are pretty highly aware of that these days, since they all carry phones with cameras.
I hope you remain safe and sound. Thanks again for the info.
Count, that fire is near Lake Arrowhead which is about 15 miles, I guess, from San Bernadino..we’re watching that one, the Sofalass is at a college, east of San Bernadino, on the way to Palm Springs..
~~~
Looks like the wind has died down some in the northern fires
because the choppers are up now in that area...(FOX)...
New one out in Boulevard, which would be east of San Diego on Interstate 8:
Incident: 0596 Type: Structure or Grass Fire Location: BOULEVARD info as of: 10/22/2007 1:46:57 PM
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
1:25PM 1039 108-61
1:20PM CDF ENRT TO FIRE ON JEWELL VALLEY RD
1:15PM WANTS TO REPORT NEW FIRE IN BOULEVARD
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
1:40PM CHP Unit Enroute
1:43PM CHP Unit Enroute
Scripps Ranch being evacuated.
"If you have done unto the least of these..."
That’s a good plan! Head for the ocean, over the Coronado Bridge. (That’s where my husband proposed to me.)
Kidding aside, I think I just heard that Otay Mesa near Del Sol road is being evacuated... my ex is right off Del Sol, tucked into the 805/905 interchange. I hope he’s okay.
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