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. 

By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2012 (Boulevard) – Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale has provided ECM with a dramatic eyewitness account of the Shockey Fire, which started on the Campo Reservation just west of her home in Boulevard.  Power and phone lines have burned down, she reports, adding that the area has no cell phone reception. 

“A Deputy showed up to warn us and recommended evacuation.We stayed and the fire raged through parts of our Morning Star Ranch and our son's property next door. Together we have over 300 acres--much now looks other worldly, stark and smoldering,” wrote Tisdale, who sent photos taken from her property.

By Nadin Abbott

September 21, 2012 (Julian) -- Firefighters from across the region converged on Farmer’s Road, a narrow country lane on the north side of Julian to fight a brush fire that has been contained at 20 acres.

Camp Stevens, as well as the residents of Farmer Road were evacuated as a precaution, however no structures burned.

By Fire Chief Dan DiGiovanna

It’s not just the health concerns and power outages associated with hot days…we are stepping right into our first high pressure system of the season and if you ask any fire service authority, all will agree this will be an extremely dangerous fire season according to Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.

September 13, 2012 (Sacramento) – Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) announced today that her legislation to protect development from wildfire has been signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.

“SB 1241 will save lives and property.  It will also ease the financial burden for fire suppression on both state and local governments through early, consistent, and meaningful fire hazard planning statewide,” stated Senator Kehoe. “We have fires in California every year.  As more people move into State Responsibility Areas and high fire hazard severity zones, it’s become critical that local governments plan for fire hazards in these high risk areas as early in their land use planning process as possible,” Kehoe said.

September 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – As fire parcel fee notices arrive in the mail for rural homeowners in East County, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association has filed a lawsuit contending that the fee is an illegal tax that required a two-thirds majority of the Legislature for passage.

If the gorup prevails, a court may order refunds. The organization’s website, FireTaxProtest.org site has a Petition for Redetermination that it suggests property owners mail in with their payments:  http://firetaxprotest.org/?page_id=13.

Update: Cal-Fire is assisting the U.S. Forest Service with crews, engines, planes and helicopters. "Good progress" is being made, said Cal-Fire's Roxanne Provaznik. Planes and one of the helicopters have been dismissed.

September 3, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- A fully engulfed car fire has sparked a brush fire on I-8 at Buckman Springs that IPN reports is five acres and spreading rapidly. 

An incident commander has indicated that if the blaze reaches the top of the ridge line, the wildfire has potential to reach 1,000 acres. Air tankers have been requested.

By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—High temperatures and the worst drought since the Dust Bowl in the 1930s have combined to fuel severe wildfires across the U.S.  in the first 8 months of the year, wildfires have scorched nearly 7 million acres—on pace to make 2012 one of the worst years on record. 

County Democrats gut fire protection resolution, while Republican supervisors also fail to protect County residents from wind turbine fires

By Miriam Raftery

August 24, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--The San Diego Democratic Central Committee this week passed a measure calling on County Supervisors to increase firefighting resources-- but removed a key provision that would have urged lawmakers to ban wind turbines in fire-prone East County.  

Wind turbines have been responsible for starting hundreds of fires around the world, including wildfires, but firefighters cannot fight a fire burning in a 500-foot-tall wind turbine whirling off burning debris. With Supervisors poised to approve a wind ordinance opening the door to numerous turbines in the backcountry, the vote was a major disappointment to residents concerned about the clear threat to public safety posed by wind turbines in our fire-prone region.

“Long overdue”l tactic to contain California’s dangerous wildfires, Senator Feinstein says

August 19, 2012 (Washington D.C.)— The U.S. Forest Service will update its nighttime firefighting program to battle out-of-control wildfires in Southern California.

Update August 17, 2012:  All evacuation orders have been lifted.  The Lightning Complex Fires are now 85% contained at 22, 836 acres.  Flash floods and rainfall are forecast, with mud slides possible in recently burned areas.

Update August 16, 2012 8 a.m. - The fires are now 60% contained; acreage remains at 15,525.  Moderate fire growth will continue today and a return to monsoonal flow will begin this morning, says Roxanne Provaznik with Cal Fire. Direct fireline tactics remain difficult due to terrain. Three firefighters have been injured; cost to suppress the fire is up to $3,870,000.  Evacuations  and road closures remain in effect.

Update Augusut 15, 2012 9 p.m. -- Fires have scorned 15,525 acre and are 35% contained.  The two largest blazes are the Wilson Fire (8,000 acres and 50% contained) and the Stewart Fire (7,000 acres and 40% contained). 

Story and photos by Nadin Abbott

August 15, 2012 (Ranchita)-- The mood was tense as firefighters made a stand on Old Wilson Road and Montezuma Road this afternoon. Hand crews were about to do what Public Information Officer for Cal- Fire Tom Piranio called "burning the fuel back to the main fire."

By Sam DiGiovanna, East County Magazine’s in-house Fire Chief

August 16, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Below is a checklist of documents that are commonly lost in a fire. Under the type of document is the institution or agency to contact for a replacement. Do not forget to take any medications.

If you are asked to evacuate, please do so immediately… Don’t become part of the existing problem!