NEW FIRES BREAK OUT IN RANCHO BERNARDO AND OCEANSIDE, I-5 CLOSED
Printer-friendly versionOctober 14 (12:30 p.m.) – Santa Ana winds are fueling new fires in several portions of San Diego County, forcing closure of several major highways and evacuations in the Rancho Bernardo, Oceanside, Fallbrook and Campo areas last night and today. Police have ordered evacuation of homes on the west side of a fire on a hillside at Camino del Norte and Camino San Bernardo in the 4S Ranch area near Rancho Bernardo. Two helicopters are dropping water on the flames; fire engines and ground crews are also dousing hot spots. Details and video: www.cbs8.com/stories/story.143243.html. In East County, a fire that began near Campo is now 70% contained. “Things are good out there,” Captain Nick Shuler of Cal Fire reported to ECM. No structures have been lost though evacuation orders remain in effect and all Mountain Empire District schools are closed for the day. More news and photos at www.signonsandiego.com Interstate 8 has been closed north of Oceanside due to a new fire that began early this afternoon at Las Pulgas Road. “The fire is in Drop Zone Tank Park, adjacent to I-5, south of Camp Las Flores,” Corporal Gabriela Gonzalez at Camp Pendleton informed East County Magazine shortly after noon today. The fire has burned five acres; cause is not known. The Juliet Fire which began late yesterday has scorched 3,000 acres and is now 25% contained, Mark Peeples, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service Southern California Incident Management Team 3, told ECM’s editor. More than 353 personnel and 47 engines are battling the fire, along with air support. About 1,230 homes remain under evacuation orders in Pilgrim’s Creek north of Douglas Drive in Oceanside as well as at two base housing units on Camp Pendleton. Another 200 have been evacuated from the Sleeping Indian and Morro Hills in the Fallbrook area, Peeples said in a 12:15 interview. However the North County Times reports that evacuation orders are being lifted in the Fallbrook area. The following schools in North County are closed due to fire: Bonsall Elementary in Bonsall, Libby, Del Rio and Reynolds elementary schools in Oceanside. For updates on the North County fires, check the North County Times website at www.nctimes.com. Printer-friendly version
FIRE NEAR CAMPO 50% CONTAINED, HWYS 94 AND 8 CLOSED, 400 EVACUATED
Printer-friendly versionOctober 13 (Campo) 9:30 a.m. — Three hundred homes have been ordered to evacuate due to a 100-acre wildfire that began at Highway 94 near Shockey Truck Trail. The blaze has burned 100 areas on both sides of 94 and is 50% contained. No structures have been lost. Evacuation centers have been established at at the Potrero Library and Mountain Empire High School. “The road is closed at Buckman Springs and Hwy 94 to the west, and to the east it is closed at La Posta and Hwy 94,” Captain Nick Shuler of CAL-Fire informed East County Magazine this morning. “Also I was just informed by CHP that Highway 8 is closed to high profile vehicles westbound from East Willows to Ocotillo.” CHP will reevaluate the closure around noon, when wind speeds are expected to slow. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” Shuler said when asked if structures are threatened. “We will still keep the evacuation in place, but right now no homes truly threatened. Firefighters are making great progress. A lot of this is because of resources that we prepositioned.” No night drops were made because the fire started at 2:46 a.m. Cal-Fire rules require that pilots fly the site during daylight hours for safety reasons. However aircraft, fire engines, bulldozers and hand crews are in place with federal, state and local resources including San Diego Sheriff, Border Patrol, Cal-Fire, U.S. Forest Service. In North County, a fire that began at Camp Pendleton yesterday grew to 3,000 acres overnight and was 25% contained by 8:30 this morning; evacuation orders remain in effect for portions of the Fallbrook area. Watch for more wildfire updates at our website: www.eastcountymagazine.org. For more news on these fires, check: www.uniontrib.org www.nctimes.org If you have not signed up to receive East County Magazine’s free Wildfire/Emergency Alert Bulletins directly via e-mail, sign up at the “subscribe” button at the top of the page. Printer-friendly version
4,000 FLEE FIRES IN PENDLETON, OCEANSIDE, FALLBROOK
Printer-friendly version Fire in North County. Photo by Corina Squires October 14 (Camp Pendleton) 12:10 p.m. – The third blaze in there weeks to strike Camp Pendleton has charred over 1,500 acres, forcing evacution of over 4,000 people from Oceanside as well as base housing. Some schools in Oceanside may be closed tomorrow, ECM has learned. The Juliet fire forced evacuation of Serra Mesa Housing and San Luis Rey Housing on the base, authorities at Camp Pendleton told ECM. As flames spread to the northeast tonight, a second fire broke out near Fallbrook. The City of Oceanside has announced that mandatory evacuations are now in effect for the East end of Sleeping Indian to include Wilshire, Indian Trail, Hidden Valley and Camino Baja Cerro. Residents have been notified to evacuate to El Camino High School, staffed by the Red Cross and the Humane Society. Care for animals is also available at the facility. “Structures are threatened in Oceanside and Camp Pendleton,” Cal Fire Captain Nick Shuler informed East County Magazine shortly after the fire began late this afternoon in the Juliet Training area. The fires are uncontained as of late tonight, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Parents should check the district’s web site in the morning for information on possible school closures. Check our homepage for updates at www.eastcountymagazine.org or visit the Camp Pendleton website. Printer-friendly version