The blaze started on a blistering hot fall Saturday between Ramona and Julian when a lost hunter started a signal fire –his last resort in unfamiliar terrain. The hunter was airlifted to safety, but the fire spread, ultimately killing 15 people, scorching 273,000 acres and destroying 2,200 homes before it was finally quenched, weeks later.
Ten years ago today, October 25, 2003 was the start of the Cedar Fire. It changed lives for many San Diegans. I was a San Diego City Councilman during the Cedar Fire, representing District 7 which was hard hit. I witnessed firsthand the destruction, and the strong resolve of those who lost their homes and loved ones.
The fire consumed about ten acres by sundown on that late October Saturday. It remained relatively small into the night. Regulations in effect at that time precluded nighttime aerial firefighting, so emergency teams had to wait for daybreak Sunday morning. Unexpectedly, strong Santa Ana winds swept flames into Wildcat Canyon -- between Lakeside and Ramona.
Survivors recounted stories of waking up on Sunday morning to flames already on their properties. Most of the victims died as they tried to escape from the surrounding canyon area.
Early Sunday morning, October 26, 2003, the Cedar Fire took another fateful turn as it raced into Scripps Ranch. The flames raged, fed by oil-filled combustible eucalyptus trees. It ravaged Scripps Ranch neighborhoods, destroying many homes. As it marched westward, the flames engulfed half the length of the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It then continued south to Tierrasanta, burning more homes and huge swaths of open space. Residents in San Carlos, perched on the hills overlooking Mission Trails Regional Park wondered if they were next. At one point, my colleague, then District 1 Councilmember and now Congressman Scott Peters, and I wondered if the flames might blow west through San Clemente Canyon and threaten the coastal community of La Jolla before reaching the ocean. As the unpredictable weather changed, flames were stopped in San Diego. But it wasn’t over yet.
After the Santa Ana winds died down, they were replaced by a sea breeze from the west. Then the flames roared east, devastating the small mountain communities near Julian and Lake Cuyamaca. This is where firefighter Steven Rucker, from the Novato Fire Department north of San Francisco, one of hundreds of fire personnel from throughout the California, lost his life. To this day, Rucker’s wife Cathy is a tireless advocate for disaster preparedness and widespread installation of Automated External Defibrillators, to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest.
The East County mountains still bear scars from the Cedar Fire. The denuded hillsides and scarred trees line the slopes near Lake Cuyamaca as reminders of the devastation.
To make matters worse, firefighters were simultaneously battling destructive blazes at the same time in Valley Center, east of Chula Vista and at Camp Pendleton.
Ten years later, I reflect back on my personal experiences from the Cedar Fire. That weekend I was with my then 12-year old twin sons on a Boy Scout camping trip in the remote mountains of Imperial County. We had no contact with the outside world. As we headed home on Sunday October 26, 2003, nearing civilization and cell-phone range, my phone endlessly buzzed and beeped with text messages and voice mails. Jeff Barnes, a Scout Leader also on the camping trip and program director for the news department at NBC 7/39, was also inundated with calls. We knew something was wrong as we approached Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta and were overwhelmed by the dark skies.
As we headed west, I shot this photo from Interstate 8 westbound heading toward San Diego. The mushroom cloud was ominous. We were part of the last group of vehicles headed west before the fire jumped the freeway in Lakeside. It then roared south and ravaged the community of Crest, east of El Cajon.
I dropped my boys off with family in Allied Gardens and raced to the City’s fire command center in Kearny Mesa. The next four days were surreal. The destruction was unimaginable.
As a City Councilmember, I was assigned a police officer and given access to secure areas so I could report back to constituents concerned about their homes. Evacuated residents felt scared and helpless and it was all we could do to provide information about what was going on. My Council colleague and now Assemblymember, Brian Maienschein and I worked to survey the damage in our communities and report addresses of the homes which burned. Scripps Ranch was the hardest hit in the City of San Diego, losing over 320 homes. Our public safety teams and Council staffs worked tirelessly to update residents.
A few days after the Cedar Fire was finally quenched, I toured the County by helicopter and shot over 200 photos of the damage. Those photos are available by clicking here.
Here is a link to the eNewsletter I sent as a Councilman one year after the Cedar Fire which provides another interesting recap of the devastating events.
As we reflect back on the worst firestorm in California history, we learned a lot. Our City is now better prepared with equipment and communication protocols. Our citizens are more aware of fire safety and how to minimize risks and protect ourselves. Fortunately, despite the warmer temperatures expected for this weekend, no Santa Ana winds are predicted by the National Weather Service.
