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Over 250,000 residents in San Diego county have been evacuated in advance of at least 7 wildfires, with over 150 homes destroyed so far, including homes in such wealthy enclaves as Rancho Santa Fe, the infamous former home of Congressman Duke Cunningham.
Fierce Santa Anna winds have blown fires in the remote north east into giant fire storms that are racing southwest, straight through the massive suburban sprawl of north eastern San Diego. Romona, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, and other thriving, crowded communities recieved mandatory evacuation orders, including all the way to the coast in Solana Beach. Many folks are seeking refuge in San Diego Charger's Qualcomm stadium.
So far only one fatality has been reported, but many injuries, both among civilians and firefighters.
From this board, Myself and, hopefully, Isherwood are ensconsed safely in greater San Diego and should have no worries. Dieval and his family, however, live in Rancho Bernardo and have been evacuated. We've exchanged private messages and with luck, his home will survive, although winds, which were earlier though to be subsiding, have picked back up.
My brother, his wife, daughter, four dogs, four cats, a horse and a rescued desert burro live in Fallbrook, which has been ordered to evacuate. I have yet to be able to get in touch with them. I have another close friend, who, along with his wife and two young kids, were evacuated from the Rancho Penasquitos area, and is now staying with his in-laws.
Returning from the dog park this afternoon, I stopped at a neighborhood 7/11. As one of the regular counter help rang me up, I thought to make conversion by asking, "So, all your love ones clear of the fires?", thinking it would be a rhetorical pleasantry. Apparently not... his in-laws had been evacuated and were all staying at his house, which, with his being a 7/11 counter-person, probably wasn't all that roomy to begin with.
Here's a map of the
San Diego county fire situation.
Add to this there's another half dozen fires raging all the way north to Santa Barbara, including a devastating fire in Malibu.
My fingers and toes are crossed for Dieval, my friends and my brother's family. Anyone else in the region care to check in???
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