San Diego Fire Wagnerite Update

by Nina Pierce Baker '77

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and good wishes. Good News! I think all of our Wagnerites and relatives have dodged the big bullet - so far. The westward spread of the Witch Creek Fire was stopped at Rancho Santa Fe, just two miles as the crow, or burning ember, flies of my family's neighborhood. The small fires in Del Mar were quickly snuffed to prevent the spread to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, a major evacuation center. After spending an uncomfortable night in their cars & a hot day in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium, my family was absolutely thrilled and eternally grateful to return to their still-standing homes the following evening (blue X on the map). They have a ton of ash and debris to clean up, but as my sister Alyta (81) said, "At least I still have a home to clean up."

I've been looking at the maps and street addresses and I'm pretty sure that those Wagnerites I know in the San Diego area are safe, although several came as close to the fires as my family did. The Witch Creek Fire in Northeast San Diego, which was so close to Solana Beach, is the one responsible for so much damage, destroying over 645 homes and damaging another 250. As of this morning it was only 10% contained, but I'm hoping that has improved as the day has progressed due to cooler temps and slower winds. Together with the Harris Fire along the border and the other two fires in the SD area, over 327,000 acres have been burned and over 1,500 homes destroyed as of this afternoon.

Cissy Morris Songalia (78) lives in Poway, which was one of the hardest hit communities. Luckily, as she said in her comment, she lives on the west side and was in the 1/3 of the community that escaped the flames. Over 70 homes in Poway alone were destroyed. Her home is the pink X on the map.

Peter Shusterman's business is right on the edge of the fire zone in Rancho Bernardo, another hard hit community, but seems to have escaped the flames as well. His office is marked by the purple X. He, as well as Paul Rank (76) live just below Poway in the Scripps Ranch area (marked by the red X), which was evacuated but not touched by the fires. Scripps Ranch was hard hit in 2003, so they caught a break this time.

Going by addresses on the WHOA site, Rey Pineda (80) and Geoff Carrasca (79), as well as Leynette Larioza (79), live in Miramar/Mira Mesa areas (located near Mira Mesa High School) and were spared as well. Mike Morris (77) lives in Santee, well south of the Witch Creek Fire and north of the Harris fire. Stewart Morgan (78), Andre Bedard (78) & Amanda Castillanes (77) all live south of harm's way. Bill Jacobs (81) also lives in San Diego but I don't know in which community.

With the crazy Santa Ana winds down to about 50 mph more aircraft are fighting the fire, which is helping. For those of you interested in the lastest scoop, check out this site for the LA area http://lafd.blogspot.com and for the San Diego area www.signonsandiego.com/ and up to the minute postings on http://fireblog.signonsandiego.com/ or http://twitter.com/kpbsnews.

For those who would like to contribute in some way, The Salvation Army was right in the thick of things, providing basic nessecities at Qualcomm and feeding the very weary firefighters. The Red Cross can always use donations and with so many unable to give blood during this time, maybe you can donate a pint. If you're searching for the status of someone you can check http://disastersafe.redcross.org. Also, the San Diego Foundation and the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA are two fine organizations. Many of you don't realize what a huge ranching community eastern San Diego is and many animals have been displaced because of the fires.

And on a positive note, Alyta noted the outpouring of support from the San Diego community. They did not go without a thing during their stay at Qualcomm and most of it was donated by local & nationwide businesses. A local coffee vendor who had his business out of a truck came by and gave everyone free coffee - just what you need after a hard nite in a cramped car. Walmart brought four semi's full of cots, blankets, tents, etc. The Red Cross and Salvation Army were there with medical facilities, donuts, diapers and drinks. And although many were still displaced as my family got to go home, they had their most immediate needs taken care of. My mom and Alyta even got to meet & greet Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during his visit to Qualcomm!

Here's what Cissy has to say about her experience  -

"The outpouring from the community has been phenomenal. It's unprecendented and knows no end. My husband and I plan on donating cash to a Poway fund for families that have lost their homes. My observations in terms of the organization of the fire fighting efforts changed when FEMA and DHS plus our reps showed up and what was flowing smoothly and orderly hit some bumps. There was even a comparison to the ordeal with Hurricane Katrina and the way they executed efforts there - and the two cannot really be compared. CALFIRE understands the sciene of firestorms and its dramatic effects on aircraft safety. The news clips about 'not letting the Marines fly their helicopters' was not about politics, but about minimizing risk and human loss. The winds really kicked ass here and at times it was unbelievable to watch unfold. But now, all is going well and we're on the road to recovery."

So thanks again for your support and good wishes on behalf of your fellow Wagnerites. Unlike so many others in the San Diego community, I think the Wagnerites have been spared and all have homes standing.

Pictures: #1 - Map of Fire Perimeter as of 7 am 10-24-07. #2 Poway, California. An eerie Espola Road during the fires Monday. Photo Credit: Sean M Hafffey/San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press #3 Firefighters rest after battling a blaze at the La Terraza Villa Apartments in Rancho Bernardo along Poblado Rd. on the 2nd day of the Witch Creek fire on Monday in San Diego, California. Photo by Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press. #4 Flames approach a home just north of Highway 78 near the 25,000 block of the highway. Charlie Neuman, San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press

Comments

[Lisa Ramos Wilcox]

Nina, thanks for this article & updating everyone on everyone we care about in San Diego!!