Life outside Qualcomm Stadium
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Edward Sherlock, 54, and his wife, Cindy, moved to Ramona from Erlanger, Ky., five months ago when he retired. They spent the last two days in Qualcomm Stadium.
“I didn’t make a mistake when I chose to retire here,” Sherlock said of the rural San Diego County town. “I’m a retired school bus driver, but I’m glad I’m here, despite everything that’s happened.”
On Sunday, when the fires started lapping around Ramona, the Sherlocks put their three dogs in his brother-in-law’s Mercedes-Benz, parked next door, and they drove south on Highway 67.
After 2 1/2 hours of waiting, not knowing that Highway 67 was closed, Sherlock turned around and took a back road to Highway 78, which is north of Ramona, and drove out. As they were zigzagging down the mountain toward Escondido, they drove through a wall of flame, escaping and coming directly to Qualcomm Stadium.
When he arrived, the Salvation Army gave Sherlock a futon and a gold-colored comforter. Sherlock has the futon next to the silver Mercedes in the stadium parking lot, and he and his wife slept on the futon for the last two nights. Cindy Sherlock has spent the last two days as a volunteer for the Salvation Army.
“We don’t know if we’re OK,” Sherlock said. “We’ve heard some things. You hear a lot of gloom and doom, but it’s best not to believe anything until you see it, so I’ll know whether or not I have a house when I see it.”
They are among about 10,000 evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium.
“There’s a lot of people hurting here,” Sherlock said. “But there’s a lot more helping. I can tell you there’s no color barrier to pain. This is a life-changing event. You see and hear different languages and colors here, and none of this means anything because we’re all hurting or helping.”
He’s boarded his three dogs at the stadium.
“We’ll probably be here for a few more days, maybe longer,” Sherlock said, while smoking a cigarette on his futon. “I don’t know what the future holds for us.”
A couple rows of cars down, an elderly woman sat in a lawn chair in the shade of an SUV, she had her eyes closed and was praying the rosary, the beads in hand.
-- Gil Reza