East County Magazine

Crest residents urged to take action against wildfire risks with free Home Assessment Program
Printer-friendly versionBy Morgan Dioli and Diana Griffin April 21, 2026 (Crest) – The Crest community is stepping up wildfire preparedness efforts by participating in the Fire Safe Council of San

Cal State University San Marcos and nearby homes evacuated due to brush fire
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts April 5, 2026 (San Marcos) – The #MoreeFire in San Marcos has led to evacuations, including the California State…

Help shape fire priorities in San Diego County
East County News Service April 4, 2026 (San Diego County) — With “fire season” now a year-round threat, public input is growing in importance as…

California’s Zone Zero defensible space law is now in effect for new home construction; existing homes must comply by February 2027
By Paul Levikow April 3, 2026 (San Diego County) – New structures being built in Very High Fire Severity Zones in California must now comply…

Brush fire burning in Santee near Town Center
Update 9:14 p.m. Forward spread has been stopped. Update 7:42 p.m. — The fire has crossed the river and is now burning directly behind commercial…

El Cajon approves funds for reconstruction of Fletcher Hills Fire Station 7
East County News Service March 28, 2026 (El Cajon) – Heartland Fire’s station 7 in Fletcher Hills, built in 1960, will soon undergo major renovations….

Extreme heat watch issued for coming week
East County News Service March 14, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – An extreme heat watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for…

CERT makes emergency preparedness fun
By Yvette Urrea Moe , County of San Diego Communications Office March 11, 2026 (San Diego) – Preparing for emergencies is serious, but it doesn’t…

CERT makes emergency preparedness fun
By Yvette Urrea Moe , County of San Diego Communications Office March 11, 2026 (San Diego) – Preparing for emergencies is serious, but it doesn’t…

More storms on the way, free sandbags available
By Gig Conaughton , County of San Diego Communications Office February 17, 2026 (San Diego) – With more and potentially heavy rains still forecasted this…
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FIRST LOCAL DETECTION OF HANTAVIRUS IN 2024
Printer-friendly versionBy County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office January 18, 2024 (San Diego) — A Western Harvest mouse collected from the open space area on the eastern

STAY SAFE! SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE EAST COUNTY WILDFIRE & EMERGENCY ALERTS
Printer-friendly version Sign up here to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email. Our alerts can reach you even if phone lines or cell towers burn

FLOOD WATCH ISSUED DUE TO STORM THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
Printer-friendly version East County News Service December 20, 2023 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch starting tomorrow afternoon through Friday due to a major

NEW SHERIFF HELICOPTERS SERVE AS A REGIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY ASSET
Printer-friendly versionBy County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office Photos and video courtesy of San Diego Sheriff’s Department November 25, 2023 (San Diego) – Two new state-of-the-art helicopters joined

SAGE FIRE THREATENS HOMES IN JAMUL/SPRING VALLEY AREA
Printer-friendly versionUpdate 4:53 p.m. from the Sheriff: An evacuation order related to the #SageFire in Jamul has been lifted. The fire started in the 3300 block of Lorrel Place just

SAN DIEGO COUNTY BURN PERMIT SUSPENSION LIFTED
Printer-friendly versionSource: Cal Fire November 23, 2023 (San Diego) – Effective Monday November 27th at 8:00 AM the burn permit suspension in San Diego County will be lifted. CAL FIRE

FIRE SPARKS PUBLIC CONCERNS IN JULIAN OVER SHORT-TERM RENTALS
Printer-friendly version “We could’ve been burned out last night. Nobody would have known, and it was windy.” — Lora Devault, Pine Hills resident ”I think we are going down a

$1000 REWARD FOR HELP TO FIND KIDNAPPING AND AUTO THEFT SUSPECT KNOWN TO FREQUENT SPRING VALLEY AREA
Printer-friendly version East County News Service Photo: David Wallace, courtesy San Diego County Crime Stoppers November 14, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) — San Diego County Crime Stoppers and investigators from

NIGHT AERIAL DROPS HOLD HIGHLAND FIRE TO 2,457 ACRES WITH 15% CONTAINMENT
Printer-friendly version Update November 4, 2023: The fire is now 70% and has held at 2,487 acres. Update November 3, 2023: The Highland Fire is now 40% contained and has

THOUSANDS EVACUATED, STRUCTURES BURNED IN AGUANGA FIRE: HIGHWAY 79 CLOSED AT COUNTY LINE
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery Photos by Josh Stotler October 31, 2023 (Aguanga) – Evacuation orders have been issued for an estimated 4,000 residents of 1,300 homes due to the
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Call 911 or 1-800-611-7343
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