East County News Service

Photo: Day 2 of the Border Fire, Cal-Fire

June 28,2016 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to help those who lost homes or buildings in the Border Fire. The County will waive fees for building permits and plan-check reviews. 

Fees will only be waived for structures that were legally permitted originally, prior to the fire. The Board’s Tuesday action would also distribute trash bins to people in the fire areas to help them clear debris.

The Border Fire started June 19^th and over the past 10 days has charred over 7,600 acres, destroyed five homes and 11 outbuildings. CAL FIRE reported Tuesday that the Border fire, which grew to 7,609 acres, was 92 percent contained.

“It’s an absolute tragedy for anyone who has lost everything,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district includes the Potrero, Campo and Lake Morena communities ravaged by the Border Fire.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – This morning Cal-Fire reports that the Border Fire is 45% contained after scorching 7,483 acres.  Five homes and 11 outbuildings were destroyed. 

The evacuation shelter at Los Coches Creek Middle School in El Cajon is closing today. All evacuated areas are now reopened, however some road closures remain in effect.  View full details from Cal Fire at: https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO/status/746347587112828928

Appreciate our alerts?  Please donate to help us continue keeping you safe and informed during emergencies!  Click here to make a donation or a monthly pledge to help sustain our East County Alerts and wildfire  news reporting: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/donate

June 23, 2016 (San Diego) -- Cal Fire has announced this evening that all evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted.

There will be three traffic control points restricting access to the fire burn area:

5 homes lost

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Facebook post by Kerra Elizabeth McAhren

June 23, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – This morning, the Border Fire is now 20% contained and has scorched 6,8450 acres as over 1,900 firefighters battle the blaze.  Five homes (of which 3 were secondary homes on the same property) and eleven outbuildings were destroyed, while one other home was damaged, Cal Fire confirms. Residents on the Campo-Lake Morena Neighborhood Watch page on Facebook have been posting eyewitness accounts, photos and videos as well as thank you messages for firefighters at https://www.facebook.com/groups/345408365593244/.

There will be a community meeting at the Los Coches Creek Middle School located at 9669 Dunbar Ln., El Cajon, CA at 7:00 pm today hosted by the Cal Fire IncidentManagement Team with an update on the Border Fire.  Representatives from agencies managing and supporting the incident as well as local dignitaries will provide a briefing and answer questions.  Public inquiries regarding the Community Meeting or Fire Information, please call 2-1-1.

“The fire still remains a threat to the communities of Lake Morena Village, Campo as well as the outlying recreational assets as the fire continues to move north and northeast. This is still a dynamic and active fire, residents in the surrounding area of the fire should continue to be prepared to evacuate if need be,” Cal Fire’s latest update reads.

Update 3:10 p.m.  The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office has issued an additional evacuation order for the following area. The area of the evacuation order is within the following boundaries; Pacific Crest Trail to the south, Buckman Springs Road to the east from Lake Morena Dr. to Morena Valley Road, Moreno Stokes Valley Road (Corral Canyon) at Sky Ranch (Sky Valley Road) to the west and Moreno Stokes Valley Road (Corral Canyon) at Buckman Springs Road  to the east.

New road closure is located at Buckman Springs Road at Old Buckman Springs.

Additional public information regarding the Border Fire can be obtained by calling 2-1-1. Continue to follow updates of the incident on the twitter account  @calfiresandiego.

East County News Service

June 21, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - An update about the Border Fire has been issued.  Lake Morena residents on the Campo/Lake Morena Neighborhood Watch Facebook page have posted that they have received calls and text alerts that a mandatory evacuation has been issued for Lake Morena.

By Miriam Raftery

June 20, 2016 (Campo)--Cal Fire has ordered mandatory evacuations of Star Ranch, Forest Gate, Canyon City, Dogpatch and Cowboy Ranch in the Campo area due to the Border Fire.

Scanner traffic indicates an advisory evacuation in Lake Morena.

A red flag alert is in effect per the National Weather Service. 

Below is more info from the Sheriff earlier today on the fire that has scorched 1900 acres and is 5% contained:

Draining stopped days after our radio broadcast and coverage

By Miriam Raftery

January 22, 2016 (Lake Morena) – Back in February 2014, we ran a story exposing Lake Morena residents’ criticisms of the City of San Diego for draining the Lake Morena Reservoir down to a mere puddle of its former self.  We also aired a radio interview (listen at link) with area residents and a city representative, which won an award from Society of Professional Journalists for best talk radio broadcast. 

After the recent rains, the water level at Lake Morena is still only 2.6 percent of capacity. But here’s some good news for lakefront residents: Kurt Kidman, public information officer for the City, advised East County Magazine this week, “With respect to Morena Reservoir, the City stopped drafting water out of Morena Reservoir back in February 2014 and we have not resumed any drafting since.”

In our radio interview aired that same month, a city official admitted that San Diego had done essentially nothing to ask its citizens to conserve water before making its decision to decimate a lake popular with recreational users, eliminate wildlife habitat and negatively impact the lifestyle and property values for years  to come.

East County News Service

Photo: Once brimming with water, the eastern portion of Lake Morena is bone dry.

April 9, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The drought is shrinking ponds and lakes across East County—and Cal-Fire is concerned about the loss of water for fighting fires.

December 19, 2014 (Lake Morena) – Photographer Kurt Scherbaum shared this beautiful image taken at Lake Morena in East County. You can view more of Kurt’s work at www.thelensmanphotography.com

By Miriam Raftery

April 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—Timothy Evan Nodal, 19, of Julian has died after suffering medical problems while hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail near Lake Morena.

By Claudia Millerbragg

I am asking you to put human life before money. If you continue with your plans to drain Lake Morena it puts the residents of rural East County at a higher fire risk.

If a fire sweeps through here and property and lives are lost because of the low water levels at Lake Morena are you prepared to live with the fact that your decision to drain the lake contributed towards the destruction?

March 19, 2013 (Lake Morena) – Community members are pitching in to help Lake Morena resident Julie Atherton, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is having surgery on March 28. Atherton works for the Mountain Empire Health at the Campo Community Center.

A spaghetti dinner fundraiser to help defray her medical expenses will be held on April 19 from 6-9 p.m. at the Mountain Empire Community Center, 976 Sheridan Road in Campo.  A silent auction will also be held. 

January 26, 2013 (Campo) -- Underage drinkers, empty lots littered with empty beer bottles and irresponsible alcohol retailers have residents speaking out after a recent community meeting to voice their concerns about youth access to alcohol in Back Country areas.

Boulevard resident Tammy Daubach said she noticed teens drinking in the empty lot near her home in Boulevard. She explained kids frequent the empty lot to ride their BMX bikes on the dirt tracks. “When the kids need to fill their motor bikes at the gas station nearby, they gas up and get their stuff. You constantly see the trash back there. We’ll go out with bags to pick it all up and find chips and wine coolers and little liquor bottles, all of that.”

Update 7:50 p.m. - A resident at the scene reports the fire is now under control and nearly extinguished.

Update 5:39 p.m. - Incident Page Network reports the fire is now 15 acres, spreading fast and moving toward structures.

July 9, 2012 (Lake Morena) – A three acre fire is burning off Bass Road in Lake Morena, Cal Fire Captain Mike Mohler has informed ECM.   “It sounds like crews can hold it,” said Mohler, who called while on the road.

Two additional air tankers and one additional helicopter have been ordered to assist in dousing the blaze, he said.  “There are structures in the area but as of now, they are not threatened.”