East County Wildfire and Emergency Alert Service

Photo by Don Lumb, taken minutes after the fire was reported.

Update Octoer 22, 2017 7:45 a.m.:  The Church Fire in Campo is now 75% contained, and Cal Fire has revised size downward to 100 acres.

Photo by Miriam Raftery: 2007 Harris Fire in Rancho San Diego

Video by José Eli Villanueva:  https://youtu.be/kgnVYh3lQrM

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications

October 20, 2017 (San Diego) -- As firefighters struggle to get deadly wildfires under control in Northern California, San Diego County and City officials marked the 10^th anniversary of the 2007 Wildfires and called upon residents to do their part to prepare for another emergency.

Federal judge rules action violates Constitutional rights of detained immigrants

By Miriam Raftery

October 19, 2017 (San Diego) – A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration has violated the rights of a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant detained in Texas by refusing to allow her to have an abortion.  The Trump administration has appealed.  “Failure to comply with this order may result in a finding of contempt,” wrote D.C. Circuit Judge Tanya Chutkan.

Source: Helix Water District

October 19, 2017 (Lakeside) -- Lake Jennings – the lake, not the campground -- will be closed to all activities, including fishing and boating, from October 30 to November 16 so Helix Water District can study the lake’s hydraulics.

Update October 19, 2017:  The man killed while standing beside his disabled vehicle has been identified as Cesar Duenas, 55. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 18, 2017 (Lemon Grove) – A Lexus driver struck and killed a disabled motorist who was on the shoulder of State Route 94 at the Lemon Grove off ramp at 5:50 p.m. yesterday.   A tow truck driver, 39, from Santee who was assisting the disabled motorist also was struck and sustained minor injuries.

By Jonathan Goetz

October 17, 2017 (El Cajon) - Hawaii’s request to temporarily block President Donald Trump’s third version of a travel ban was granted by a federal judge a day before it was set to go into effect.

By Miriam Raftery, photos by Richard Edwords

October 17, 2017 (San Diego) – A contracted firefighter from Missouri has died in Napa Valley after the water truck he was driving overturned.  Fatigue may have been a factor, according to Cal Fire. 

Richard Edwords, a contracted water truck driver from Alpine on the scene in Napa, has been sending photos documenting his experience in the fires to East County Magazine, including poignant notes of thanks, such as this one (right):

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Rep. Duncan Hunter and challengers Ammar Campa-Najjar and Josh Butner

October 17, 2017 (San Diego) -- The latest campaign fundraising data available through the Federal Elections Commission revealsthat  two strong Democratic challengers to Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, at least from a financial standpoint, have emerged in the 50^th Congressional district: Ammar Campa-Najjar and Josh Butner.

By Miriam Raftery

October 16, 2017 (Julian) - A retired La Mesa Police officer, Tom Ruth, was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident.

According to the California Highway Patrol, he lost control of his motorcycle and struck a parked truck on State Route 79 near Julian.

By Miriam Raftery

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 15, 2017 (Cuyamaca) -- The Green Fire is 75 percent contained at eight acres as of 10:30 a.m., Cal Fire reports.  The grass fire began yesterday afternoon near the Green Valley Falls campground area in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, not far from State Route 79.

A witness, who asked that his name not be published, told East County Magazine that he and his wife were hiking on the Harvey Moore Trail moments before the fire started and saw several people in the meadow.  Arriving at the parking lot and learning of the fire, the witness says the saw the people -- a couple and a third inidividual, get into an SUV and drive away.

By Miriam Raftery

October 14, 2017 (El Cajon) –“The unimaginable destruction of the ongoing northern California wildfires that have taken homes, schools, and lives has proven devastating to thousands upon thousands of families,” says Nancy Padilla, one of three East County women organizing a caravan of relief supplies to help fire survivors. “The daily images from this historic disaster have been both heartbreaking and terrifying, leaving those affected with literally nothing in the way of personal possessions. This week we will be collecting much needed supplies that will be transported by us to the affected area next weekend, and hope that many of our friends and supporters will be able to contribute to our efforts. Every little bit will help, and however much you can spare, in whatever form you give it, is meaningful and will make a difference,” she adds.

East County News Service

October 14, 2017 (Buckman Springs) – A 61-year-old woman driving south on Buckman Springs Road south of Lake Morena Drive Thursday at 3:30 p.m. missed a curve and her vehicle spun out of control.  The vehicle overturned and the motorist, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and killed.

Story, videos and photos by Paul Kruze

October 12, 2017 (El Cajon) – An outburst and verbal kerfuffle between El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and Councilman Ben Kalasho at the end of Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council meeting almost overshadowed an earlier unified 5-0 decision to ban outdoor growing  of marijuana by individuals and increase penalties for illegal commercial marijuana dispensaries and commercial growing facilities within the city limits of El Cajon.

East County News Service

October 12, 2017 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law Senate Bill 442, which aims to help make residential swimming pools safer.  It requires new safety features for new pools and pools undergoing major repairs or remodeling, a well as disclosure of pool safety problems when a home is sold.

Drowning is currently the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in Califorinia.  Drowning is a silent killer and only takes less than a couple minutes. Hospital records in California show for every fatal pool drowning there are five other near-drowning incidents resulting in hospitalization, with brain injury due to asphyxiation (lack of oxygen to the brain) being the main cause of the hospitalization.

By Miriam Raftery

October 10, 2017 (Las Vegas) – A class action lawsuit has been filed against Slide Fire Solutions, LP, manufacturer of the bump stock device used by the mass shooter in Las Vegas to convert a semi-automatic weapon to “functional equivalent of a machine gun, thereby evading longstanding federal law,” according to a press release issued by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.