Update January 25, 2025- The fire had modest growth overnight and is now 6,500 acres, per Cal Fire.

Update 8:15 p.m.-- Per CalTrans, State Route 94 is closed in both directions between Honey Springs Rd. in Jamul and State Route 188 (access road to Tecate) due to the fire.

Update 5:55 p.m.-- The fire is now 6,272.7 acres per Cal-Fire. The mandatory evacuation area has been extended to some areas east of State Route 94.

January 24, 2025 (Jamul/Dulzura) -- Evacuation orders and warnings for the #Border2Fire now extend to immediately south of Jamul Casino, including areas east and west of State Route 94, and significant portions of Chula Vista.  Photo left is as of 1 p.m.; click this link for latest evacuation areas and hit the plus sign to enlarge to view details: https://app.watchduty.org/camera/2231   Also see another map here:  https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/23/border-2-fire.

The fire, which started on Otay Mountain yesterday,  is now 5,389 acres and 10% contained per Cal Fire.  An Evacuation Center has now been set up at: Cuyamaca College 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon, CA 92019.

Update 5:05 p.m.-- The #Border2Fire is now 248 acres and still 0% contained. Winds have shifted toward campgrounds with campers at Pio Pico told to evacuate and Thousand Trails campers receiving a warning to be prepared, per social media posts from campers at these sites.

update 4 p.m.-- The fire is now 148 acres per Watch Duty app and is large enough to be visible from space. (Photo, right, via NASA)

Update 3:45 p.m.-- The fire is now 50 acres and 0% contained, per Cal Fire.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo  by Barry Jantz: Border 2 Fire viewed from Jamul, with Jamul Casino in foreground.

January 23, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The #Border2Fire that started within the hour on Otay Mountain is now 20 acres and burning at a "dangerous" rate of spread, per Watch Duty App. Cal Fire lists the size as 10 acres with potential for 200 acres.

The fire started near Otay Truck Trail in the Otay WIlderness area.  Infrastructure on the mountain is threatened, per Watch Duty App.

East County News Service

December 18, 2024 (Washington D.C.) -- Today, legislation authored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) to place 172 acres of land in East County, San Diego into tribal trust for the Jamul Indian Village passed the House and heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law, after a companion measure authored by Senator Padilla previously passed in the Senate.

The Jamul Indian Village has sought for years to bring tribal members back onto their ancestral land – so they can raise their families, carry forward their culture, and add to their history,” said Rep. Issa. “This is the right thing to do, and it empowers not government, but individuals, to take new charge and best care of their lives. This Fee-to-Trust bill provides that opportunity, securing Jamul’s land, preserving its sacred sites, and protecting Kumeyaay traditions for generations to come. My thanks to Senator Padilla and Congressman Vargas for their support in pushing forth this important legislation.” 

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2024 (Jamul)—The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heard impassioned testimony on July 11 from  Jamul tribal chairwoman Erica Pinto, speaking in favor of S. 3857,the Jamul Indian Land Transfer Act authored by California Senator Alex Padilla. The measure would place in trust four land parcels totaling 172 acres into the Jamul Indian Village reservation, lands that the tribal chairwoman says are needed for tribal members' housing, reuniiting a scattered community, protecting cultural resources, and providing services for tribal members,such as healthcare and education.

The bill is identical to H.R. 6443, Rep. Darrell Issa’s bill which has already passed the House of Representatives.

But the measures have drawn opposition from the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group, which was not consulted about the measures and was not allowed to present testimony at the July 11 hearing. THE JDCPG Chair sent a letter to the Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman and the authors of both bills outlining the planning group's concerns including whether commercial development could occur, as well as objections over the land transfer process bypassing local input.

By Miriam Raftery

April 25, 2024 (Washington D.C)  – The Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act (H.R.6443) authored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48), passed the House of Representatives on April 10.

H.R.6443 incorporates 172 acres of land in San Diego’s East County region into the Jamul Indian Village Reservation, placing the land into tribal trust and preserving it for generations to come. This area also includes a 100-year-old church (photo, left, by Miriam Raftery) and cemetery where their tribal lineage has rested for generations.

The acreage is currently owned by the Jamul Indian Village and includes residential land for homes and council buildings, an ancestral cemetery, and the tribe’s only road for transportation.

If approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, this would be a dramatic expansion of Jamul’s tribal lands, since the existing reservation has only six acres,  most of which is occupied by the tribe’s casino and a hotel under construction.

By Miriam Raftery

This story has been updated after the victim died.

January 21, 2024 (Jamul) – Sheriff’s deputies have charged Travis Bodle, 53, for the murder of his mother, 77-year-old Vickie Bodle.

The Fire Department called Sheriff’s deputies after responding to the 14400 block of Hillside Estates Drive in Jamul, where the victim showed signs of a physical assault.  She was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries in critical condition, and has since succumbed to her injuries, says Lieutenant Joseph Janjura with the Sheriff’s homicide unit.

By Miriam Raftery

January 3, 2024  (Jamul)—Rob Deason, a retired teacher in the San Diego Unified School District and husband of Deerhorn Valley Antler publisher Kim Hamilton, died last night after a long illness and several months in home hospice care.

Originally from  Los Angeles, Deason studied liberal arts at California Western University.  A talented woodworker, he also studied woodworking and electronics at San Diego Sate University California. He married Hamilton in 1987.

His articles and photos on backcountry life appeared in the Deerhorn Valley Antler.

Story by Henri Migala

Photos by Henri Migala and Vince Kattoula

December 18, 2023 (Jamul) -- The largest cross in San Diego County was raised atop Rancho San Diego Hill, on 80 acres of private land, in Jamul on Friday, December 15.

The 36’ tall Chaldean cross, made possible by Samad (“Sam”) and Evone Attisha and their family, will serve as a symbolic memorial for persecuted Christians throughout Iraq and all of the Middle East.

"Over the last several decades, Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East have been persecuted simply because of their faith," said Samad Attisha, who established the project. "The Chaldean Cross serves as a symbolic memorial for those martyrs who were murdered because of their love for our Lord Jesus Christ. My family and I are blessed with the opportunity to have made this possible on behalf of the entire Chaldean Community."

By Jacob Pamus

Everybody Dies by the End is a feature film written by Ian Tripp and directed by Ian and Ryan Schafer. The film was partially shot in Jamul and downtown. The film stars East County locals such as Brendan Cahalan and Vinny Curran, who owns a bar called Thrusters Lounge in Pacific Beach. Other local actors include Brendan Cahalan from El Cajon and Ian Tripp of San Carlos.

The synopsis of the film is: “A documentary crew follows cult classic horror director Alfred Costella as he makes his final film - An all-practical masterpiece...with a dark twist.” 

When asked about his experience during the production of the film, Ian Tripp told ECM, “You have to be agile to problems coming at you every minute, but the crew itself was why we surpassed any problems we had.” He went into further detail, explaining how well the crew worked together in an environment that could be very stressful.

Story and Photos By: Josh Stotler

Photo, left:  A San Diego Helitack crew heads into the smoke to clear crush as the Proctor fire burns in the background.

June 24, 2023 (Jamul)-- Crews from CAL FIRE and Inmate fire crews are still on the scene at the #ProctorFire this evening, mopping up and dousing hot spots. All   road closures and evacuation orders have been lifted.

The  brush fire was reported off Proctor Valley Road around 5:23 pm. Units were dispatched to the scene and reported the blaze burning in medium vegetation with a medium rate of spread. Due to vegetation drying out and homes in the area, the fire was upgraded; more air and ground units were called in.

Update April 15, 2023:  The suspect, Mikey WIlliams, has been described as one of the nation's top prep high school players, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Williams "maintains his innocence," according to his attorney.

East County News Service

Photo: Fox Life Visuals, CC-SA-4.0 via Wikipedia

April 14, 2023 (Jamul)--Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department are investigating a shooting in Jamul on Monday, March 27 at a house in the 2600 block of Bratton Valley Road just before midnight. According to Lieutenant Jeff Ford, there was a verbal argument over guests being asked to leave the home.

“Five people got into a car and as they were driving away, shots were fired. The car was hit, but no one was hurt,” Lt. Ford says, adding that three of the passengers in the vehicle were minors.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2023 (Jamul) – By a unanimous vote, the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group on March 28 approved a letter sent to Mark Slovick, deputy director of San Diego County’s Planning & Development Services.  The letter asks County staff to take action on several concerns to mitigate impacts of  Jamul Casino’s plans to build a hotel and event center.

The planners voice concerns that the tribe’s plans do not adequately address potential traffic, fire safety, environmental and noise concerns.

The recommendations include:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Jennifer and Kirk Nichols, courtesy of Dignity Memorial

March 4, 2023 (Jamul) – Robert Keith Thomas, 30, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and has been sentenced to four years in state prison, CBS 8 reports. He was driving a pickup truck on State Route 94 on Feb. 25, 2022 when a boat trailer he was towing came unhitched and slid across the highway.

 It struck a vehicle driven by Jennifer Nichols, 49, wife of then-interim San Diego Harbor Police Chief Kirk Nichols. She later died in a hospital. Her husband, who was a passenger, had minor injuries.

Thomas also faces a civil suit filed by Nichols’ husband and their two sons, Times of San Diego reports.

East County News Service

February 13, 2023 (Jamul) – A San Diego man, 40, sustained major injuries in a crash on February 10 in Jamul while attempting to pass another vehicle on State Route 94.