‘We’re all getting back to the basics’

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It was not Dennis Gulyas’ first fire. So when his brother called at 4 a.m. Monday with the news that the Witch fire was heading toward Rancho Penasquitos, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

His family was not bowed by the devastating Cedar fire in 2003. Why should he worry about a fire that was burning farther east? he wondered.

By 6 a.m., with Gulyas still in bed, his wife, Rosa, daughter Kimberly and son Dennis Jr. began packing valuables, their five cats and dog inside a car.

“I grew up in San Diego. I’m used to fires,” Gulyas said. “I figured I’ll get up later and water down the roof.”

His family left for Qualcomm Stadium, arriving at 8:30 a.m.

By 11 a.m., Gulyas was on top of his house, hosing the roof.

“I noticed there was nobody in the neighborhood. There was a lot of ash and smoke but no flames,” he said. “A cop drove up and told me to leave.”

On Tuesday, the Gulyas family was camped out under the shade of a pine tree in the stadium parking lot. An inflated mattress lying on the sidewalk served as Dennis’ bed. His wife and daughter slept inside a tent. Dennis Jr. and a friend slept in another. All of that was donated by local merchants.

“We’re all getting back to the basics, even Buddy, our dog,” Gulyas said. “He uses our cat litter box. This morning he had to do his business on the ground like a normal dog.”

Gulyas said he was a Red Cross volunteer after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

“The relief effort is much more orderly here,” he said. “People aren’t pushing, yelling and fighting like they were in L.A.”

-- H.G. Reza