By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

December 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – With a red flag warning in effect from the National Weather Service due to high fire danger today through Friday, SDG&E has begun public safety power shutoffs affecting 8,949 customers in Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Jacumba and Jamul. There are also unplanned outages in Julian and Borrego Springs. However, up to 108,619 more customers may face planned power outages between now and December 13 at noon, according to SDG&E, including most East County communities.

Communities at risk of outages in San Diego County include the Barona reservation, Borrego Springs, the Campo reservation, Capitan Grande reservation, Cardiff, Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Fallbrook, Granite Hills, Jamul Indian Village, Julian, La Jolla Reservation, Lakeside, La Mesa, La Posta reservation, Lakeside, Los Coyotes Reservation, Manzanita reservation, Mesa Grande reservation, Pala,

Pala reservation, Pauma Valley, Pauma reservation, Poway, Ramona, Ranchita, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, Rincon reservation, San Diego, San Marcos, San Pasqual Reservation, Santa Ysabel, Santa Ysabel reservation, Santee, Solana Beach, Sycuan  reservation, Valley Center, Viejas Reservation, and Warner Springs.

Community Resource Centers are open in many communities.  For a list of community resource centers, see https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.

By Miriam Raftery

November 26, 2024 (Alpine) – Nearly two years after a severe storm damaged the floating fishing dock at Loveland Reservoir in Alpine back in January 2023, a restored fishing dock is back.

Source: CalFire

November 21, 2024 (San Diego's East County) - - The CAL FIRE San Diego Unit is preparing to conduct prescribed burns across San Diego and Imperial Counties as part of an ongoing effort to reduce wildfire risk, enhance ecosystem health, and protect community safety. These projects are planned during carefully selected weather conditions that meet specific safety and ecological parameters.  A controlled burn is being conducted today in the Campo area.

Each prescribed burn project undergoes a comprehensive review to ensure it meets the criteria for environmental benefit, appropriate weather, smoke management, and fire safety. Once a project is approved, trained CAL FIRE personnel will conduct the burns under strict guidelines.

By Miriam Raftery

November 16, 2024 (San Diego) – By a unanimous vote, San Diego County Supervisors on Oct. 22 authorized the San Diego County Fire Authority to provide a dedicated staffer to assist homeowners with applications to the  Wildfire Prepared Home program.

The program, provided through the Insurance Institute for Business & Home and Safety (IBHS), offers a discount on insurance premiums to homeowners who apply and meet fire safety requirements. To apply, homeowners must pay an application fee of $125 and pass an inspection. Now, County Fire officials can also visit homes to help homeowners assure that they have met the wildfire mitigation requirements.

Hear our interview with Sierra Club Conservation Chair Ron Askeland and Loveland advocate Russell Walsh, aired on KNSJ

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2024 (Alpine) – Supporters of Loveland Reservoir are urging the public to attend a community workshop hosted by Sweetwater Water Authority tonight on trail improvements at Loveland Reservoir.  The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Alpine Woman’s Club, 2156 Alpine Blvd.in Alpine.

Sweetwater will offer an update on Loveland trails improvements at the meeting, the third in a series of public workshops.   The meeting comes after Sweetwater received a $750,000 state grant at the request of Senator Brian Jones for improvements at Loveland, and public input is sought on how to allocate those funds.

October 22, 2024 (Ramona) — A Ramona man, 36, died at the scene of a collision on State Route 78 near the Old Julian highway on October 18 shortly before 5 p.m.

The victim was riding a 2020 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound when he crossed over the double yellow lines and crashed into a Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by a Ramona woman, 52, according to Officer Jasmine Lopez with the California Highway Patrol.

By East County News Service

October 16, 2024 (Ramona, CA) -- The Ramona Art, Wine & Music Festival will expand music performances to include live music on four stages, add beer and hard cider tastings, and introduce food and beer for purchase at its 12th annual festival on November 2 at Begent Ranch,18528 Highland Valley Rd., Ramona.

East County News Service

September 13, 2024 (Ramona) –Yesterday morning before 9 a.m., the Ramona Sheriff's Substation was notified by Olive Pierce Middle School about a threat of a possible school shooting. After an investigation, authorities have concluded the threat was unfounded.

Deputies arrived at the school within minutes. For the safety of students and staff, school administrators made the decision to place the school on a limited lockdown while deputies investigated the incident.    

After a thorough search of the entire campus, deputies did not find anything suspicious at Olive Pierce Middle School. No one was hurt.

Out of an abundance of caution, deputies also conducted security sweeps at Ramona High School and Ramona Community Montessori School and provided extra patrols at all three campuses until the end of the school day.

East County News Service

September 1, 2024 (Julian) – Doff your shoes and toast to a fall tradition at the 27^th annual Julian Grape Stomp Festa.  This juicy event will be held on Saturday, September 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at  Menghini Winery,1150Julian Orchards Drive in Julian.

In addition to stomping grapes in the Italian old world tradition, you can savor winetasting from several local wineries, enjoy beer and hard cider tastings, live music, food vendors, shop for merchandise, play corn hole, let the kids play games and jump in a bounce house, and take home a souvenir wine glass. Inspired by the famous “I Love Lucy” grape-stomping episode, there wll also be a Lucy look alike contest with a $100 prize.

Photo: El Capitan County Preserve

By Shauni Lyles, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 7, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)-- Due to triple-digit temperatures, two County parks will be closed for the month of August. They are El Capitan County Preserve in Lakeside and Mt. Gower County Preserve in Ramona.

These locations have difficult trails that end in isolated areas. They also offer very limited shade which can lead to dangerous conditions during major heat events. They join two desert parks that are already closed for the summer due to extreme heat: Vallecito and Agua Caliente County Parks.

Update Aug. 3, 2024: All evacuation warnings have been lifted for the  #Nixon Fire. Cal Fire investigators have found the cause was a privately owned electrical panel.

Update Aug. 2, 2024:The #NixonFire is 21% contained at 5,222 acres.  The cause was a malfunctioning electrical panel at a private residence, Cal Fire reports. The evacuation center at Temecula Valley High School, 31555 Rancho Vista Rd., Temecula, CA 92592 closed today and a reception and care center will open at Hamilton High School in Anza at 9 a.m. today. Operating hours will be at 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. beginning Saturday.

Update Aug. 1, 2024:  The #NixonFire is 14% contained and is now 5,194 acres.  Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place.

July 31, 2024  (San Diego's East County) -- An evacuation warning has been issued for parts of San Diego County near Warner Springs due to the fast-moving #NixonFire which started in Riverside County.  Residents should be prepared to evacuate if needed. For fire maps and updated evacuation details, visit alertsandiego.org/en-us.html and shorturl.at/DNmFH, the San Diego Sheriff advises. 

The #NixonFire is 4,941 acres and 5% contained, burning to the south and east in rugged terrain. Overnight,a spot fire briefly crossed the county line into San Diego County,but was extinguished by firefighters.

At least 7 homes have burned in Riverside County, NBC 7 reports.