Wildfire Shifts Course as Winds Ease

The Viejas fire roared out of control for a second day Thursday, consuming thousands of brushy acres and forcing scores of rural homeowners to evacuate, although only one more home was lost.

As winds decreased, fire officials said the fire might be contained by late Saturday. The cause of the fire was determined to be a lighted cigarette flicked from an eastbound car on Interstate 8 about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Authorities doubt that they will be able to identify the motorist.

“We had a very successful day--the wind cooperated,” said U.S. Forest Service Battalion Chief Mike Conrad, who said the fire was 30% contained.

At nightfall, officials put the losses at five homes, four outbuildings, five trailers and more than 11,000 acres. The only serious injury so far was suffered by a homeowner who fell off his roof while trying to save his home with a garden hose.

Four homes were burned to the ground within the first hours of the fire, when flames shot 200 feet into the air and created a plume of smoke 8,000 feet high. The fifth, near Loveland Reservoir, went up in flames Thursday morning as the fire turned southwest.

The air in San Diego, 35 miles away, continued to be darkened by smoke and a sprinkling of ash fell to the ground. In Alpine, residents struggled to regain their composure as the fire raced away from their rural community.

“There’s a lot of relief here today,” said Tina Woolley, owner of the Alpine Feed, Hay, Grain and Supply Store. “We can still smell smoke but we haven’t seen any flames or fire today and that’s real good news.”

But for residents in Dehesa and Jamul, southwest of Alpine, the fear was fresh.

Sheriff’s deputies called some residents and visited others to warn of the danger as the fire threatened the Lawson Canyon, Beaver Canyon and Sloan Canyon areas. Although homes were not considered in imminent danger, deputies suggested that residents leave.

“People are packing up their animals and heading for high ground; lots of pickup trucks on the move,” said Jamie Smith, a hairdresser at the Jamul Barbershop.

More than 2,000 firefighters, backed by five air tankers and other fire-suppression aircraft, fought the fire as it whipped through the brittle and overgrown brush that covers this hilly region. On Wednesday, the wind gusted to 65 mph, but on Thursday the winds were between 10 and 25 mph.

As Alpine residents retrieved their animals and returned to their homes, San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob said she plans to question officials of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection about the system of determining when the state’s fire season ends.

The department ended the season Oct. 20, meaning that fewer people and less equipment was immediately available to bolster units in San Diego County.

In the last five years, the state has averaged 6,640 brush fires, but they are rare in January. Like the Viejas fire, 90% of brush fires are attributed to human causes.

The Viejas casino, north of the freeway, reopened for gaming Thursday, but the Sycuan casino, south of the freeway, remained closed as a fire moved to the edge of the parking lot.

Elsewhere, businesses attempted to return to normal. “Everybody is breathing easier today,” said Jessica Hickman, manager of Alpine Village Bakery, who had fled her home Wednesday, carrying her prized Beanie Babies.

Even as a pall of smoke hung over the course, golfers returned to Singing Hills Country Club in nearby El Cajon. The fire came within a mile of the back nine.

“We told people that if they had breathing problems, maybe they should skip it,” said course professional Rick Lindemann. “But if they had a burning desire for golf, we were open.”

Despite the upbeat news from fire officials, agencies providing support for firefighters and residents planned to remain in Alpine.

“If the wind kicks up again, all it takes is one spark and we’ve got a major fire again,” said Don Read, director of Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services.