School buses turned away from rest home evacuation

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The two large apartment buildings at Casa de las Campanas, a retirement community off I-15 and West San Bernardino Road in San Diego, were ringed by fire and shrouded in ash and thick clouds of smoke.

About 4:30 a.m., residents got a loud knock on the door and a notice was slipped under, telling them to take what they could carry and to meet in the lobby. Several school buses came to the area but were turned away, said firefighters, who could not explain why. About 750 people were waiting to be evacuated.

Ruth Kildare, 85, slipped what she could into the small basket of the electronic scooter she uses to get around: pictures, medicines and a birth certificate.

“It’s just the most important stuff I need. I have to get by with just that,” she said.

Fire burned up a ridge, jumped I-15 and raced toward the community.

“It was getting away from us, but the helicopter came right in time,” said firefighter Larry Rawlings.