San Diego County update: 1,000 homes lost

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San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts said this morning that the burn areas in the county may be approaching 300,000 acres with an estimated 1,000 homes lost.

He said that 270,000 ‘reverse 911 calls’ have been made to households warning residents to evacuate.

‘The winds continue to be unpredictable,’ he said. ‘That complicates matters.’

Fires overnight expanded in Fallbrook, pushed closer to the heart of Rancho Santa Fe, one of the most exclusive communities in the the nation, and began to march closer to Chula Vista and Bonita.

Homes were still burning in Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido. Fire officials hope for reinforcements to arrive from throughout the state.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders sent out an urgent plea for doctors and nurses to volunteer to help evacuees, many of them elderly, at Qualcomm Stadium. Upward of 10,000 people stayed at the stadium last night.

Troops from the National Guard were deployed to the stadium and the Del Mar Fairgrounds, another evacuation spot. Other troops will fan out today into neighborhoods, Sanders said. Sanders asked residents who have not been evacuated to stay off roads and not to use their cellphones, which could hamper firefighters and other first-responders.

‘I want to thank all San Diegans. They’ve done a magnificent job,’ he said.

New fires erupted overnight, including one that burned at least 400 acres at the La Jolla Indian Reservation in northeast San Diego County. Military personnel at Camp Pendleton were ordered to be prepared to evacuate, Navy bases in San Diego provided shelter to sailors and their families who were forced to flee their off-base homes.

Officials hope to begin bombarding the fires with fixed-wing and helicopter craft. The Navy has deployed two helicopters.

‘The intent is to get aircraft into the air as soon as possible,’ said Coronado Fire Chief Kim Raddatz, one of the fire officials coordinating the countywide fire attack.

The Harris fire near the border is now listed at 70,000 acres, the Rice fire near Fallbrook-Rainbow at 4,000 acres, and the Witch Creek fire at 150,000 acres. Officials said a better estimate can be made when aircraft can evaluate.

--Tony Perry