HUNDREDS OF FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZE AS DARKNESS FALLS

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Update 12:10 a.m. September 24 -- Due to the wildfires, all schools in the Mountain Empire Unified School District will be closed on Monday Sept. 24.

Update 11:45 p.m. – The Shockey Fire has swelled to 2,000 acres and is 10% contained, Cal-Fire Battalion Chief Mike Mohler advises.  Evacuation advisory for Jacumba; structure threat and evacuations continue for Boulevard and Tierra del Sol communities. Numerous structures are damaged or destroyed; Southwest power grid is also threatened. 

 

A Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) has been approved and Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team #6 has been mobilized. 

Civil Defense in Mexico has advised ECM that the fire has not jumped south of the border.

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County) 7:35 p.m. -- Airdrops have ceased for the night and will resume in the morning.  Hundreds of firefighters are battling the 1,000 acre blaze, including units from across San Diego County and adjoining counties. 

Four homes are confirmed to have burned on Tierra del Sol Road, along with many outbuildings. The fire is now burning in Boulevard, ECM reporter Nadin Abbott advises. 

Old Highway 80 is closed at Jewel Valley Road, 10 News reports.

“It's been rather scary out here and the fire was out of control,”  Don Lumb, resident in the fire area told ECM at 10:06 p.m.. “It was a very fast mover and jumped multiple tim…It seems like winds have calmed and hope the Firefighters get some containment over night.” He provided a video of the fire earlier, as it hit new fuel in an area that hasn't burned in many decades.

San Diego County's Emergency website is now posting updates on the fire:

http://sdcountyemergency.com/updates/shockey-fire-structures-destroyed-e... 

Below is an infrared image of the fire: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/conus/viewer.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center is open at Mountain Empire High School, 3305 Buckman Springs Road in Pine Valley.

Here is a Google map of the fire area:

 


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