Fire engulfs retirement areas, racehorse stables
Fallbrook, Calif. — Flames engulfed retirement communities built on golf courses, thoroughbreds in racehorse stables and other usually serene sites as the San Diego area became the latest front in California’s wildfire fight.
The fire broke out Thursday amid dry, windy conditions that would be extreme for any season but are especially stunning just two weeks from winter.
It grew to 6 square miles in a matter of hours and burned dozens of houses as flames tore through the tightly packed Rancho Monserate Country Club community in the small city of Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards and horse ranches.
Three people were burned while escaping the flames and at least 85 buildings were destroyed, authorities said. Out of 10,000 people who fled homes, about 900 were in shelters. One death has been reported.
Trees were charred for miles along a winding highway in the community of Bonsall and some houses lay in ruins on a road not far off. At one home, a goose and a rooster remained, the latter crowing repeatedly Friday.
The fire, on the eastern border of the Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton, was uncontained, although winds subsided significantly overnight. Forecasters said they would return later in the day but be less widespread.
Authorities said 1,000 firefighters battled the flames with help from air tankers and helicopters. Significant resources also were being deployed to stamp out a new, small fire that began to the east in the Cleveland National Forest near the mountain town of Alpine.
Meanwhile, firefighters northwest of Los Angeles gained some control over the largest and most destructive fire in the state, which has destroyed 430 buildings. The blaze in Ventura County has grown to 206 square miles since igniting Monday.
Fire crews also made enough progress against other large fires around LA to lift most evacuation orders.
The fire 50 miles north of San Diego razed rows of trailer homes in the retirement community, leaving charred and mangled metal in its wake. It wasn’t immediately known what sparked the blaze next to State Highway 76, but strong winds carried it across six lanes to the other side.
Cynthia Olvera, 20, took shelter at Fallbrook High School.
She had been at her Bonsall home with her younger sister and nephew when her father called from the family nursery to say the fire had reached the gate of their sprawling property.
After starting to drive away, the family turned around to recover forgotten personal documents — but it was too late. Trees were ablaze and flames were within 10 feet of the house.