VALLEY FIRE IS 32% CONTAINED, LOSSES CLIMB TO 30 HOMES

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Ryan Grothe

September 10, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – “Due to the fire retardant that was laid down on Tuesday, and the strong air support yesterday, resources were successful in keeping the fire from getting established and pushing into more populated areas to the west,” according to a release this morning from Cal Fire.

Firefighters held the Valley Fire to 17,665 acres It is now 32% contained, with 884 personnel assigned to battle the blaze. However the number of homes burn has risen to 30, with 29 other structures destroyed.

Today, crews are constructing and strengthening hand and dozer lines and are focused on structure preparation and defense to values at risk. A very dry air mass will be over the area for the forseeable future with a gradual warming trend through the weekend, according to Cal Fire.

EVACUATION ORDERS:

Lawson Valley • Japatul Valley • Lyons Valley • Carveacre

EVACUATION WARNINGS:

Pine Valley • Descanso • Alpine • Viejas • Dulzura • Barrett Junction • Potrero

ROAD CLOSURES:

Japatul Rd & Lyons Valley Rd /Japatul Rd • Wisecarver Lane @ Wisecarver Truck Trail • Japatul Rd north of Hidden Glen Rd • Loveland Reservoir Place @ Japatul Rd • Japatul Rd @ Japatul Spur Rd • West Boundary Truck Trail @ Hidden Glen Rd

Please call the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for evacuation information at (858) 565-5200

SHELTERS

The Temporary Evacuation Point at Joan MacQueen Middle School has closed due to limited capacity and potential sheltering needs. The updated locations are:

• El Capitan High School, 10410 Ashwood St, Lakeside, CA 92040

• Steele Canyon High School, 12440 Campo Rd, Spring Valley, CA 91978

If you need emergency assistance in evacuating, please call 9-1-1. Residents in the areas impacted by the Valley Fire can call 2-1-1 for non-emergency fire information such as evacuation orders, shelters and road closures.

Photo, right: Map by Jimmy Jackson of Alpine shows the growth of the fire; the dark color is the perimeter Monday morning, pinkish hue is Wednesday night Firefighters held the perimeter over night as they've made solid progress toward containing the Valley Fire.