It was 15 years ago this month that the Witch Creek and Guejito fires roared into parts of North County, destroying hundreds of homes and upending the lives of many residents.
The 2007 fire, which burned 97,990 acres, is the third largest in San Diego County’s history. The 2003 Cedar fire burned 273,264 acres, including homes in Poway and Scripps Ranch. The largest was the Santiago Canyon fire, which burned an estimated 300,000 acres in 1889.
The fire, driven by Santa Ana winds, began in the Witch Creek area near Santa Ysabel in the early afternoon of Oct. 21 when an SDG&E power line blew down due to high winds and sparked. Officials estimated the blaze would enter San Diego city limits by late morning of Oct. 22. But the Guejito fire — also caused by a power line — sparked in the San Pasqual area. It spread into Rancho Bernardo and Poway hours ahead of the Witch Creek blaze, which would eventually merge with Guejito.
By the time the wildfire was extinguished, 411 homes in Ramona were destroyed, followed by 365 in Rancho Bernardo, along with 90 in Poway. Homes were also lost in Lake Hodges, Escondido, Del Dios, San Diego Country Estates and Rancho Santa Fe. In all, 1,141 homes were destroyed and dozens more were damaged. Two people died and 40 firefighters were injured.
“We were all shocked, seeing the scope of the emergency in Southern California at that time,” said David Gerboth, a deputy fire chief with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
In 2007, he was on the incident management team that coordinated the fire response.
In the days leading up to the Witch Creek fire there were blazes burning in Los Angeles County, Gerboth recalled. A request came for San Diego firefighters to help up north. However, with Santa Ana winds increasing here, officials decided they needed to keep all their crews in San Diego County.
“We went from nothing — it had rained the week before — to a historic fire siege in Southern California within hours,” he said.
Oct. 21 began with the Harris fire in the south. A few hours later the Witch Creek fire began. By early the next morning there was the Guejito fire, then the Rice fire that blazed through Fallbrook.
Two days later, the Poomacha fire started in Pauma Valley and spread toward Palomar Mountain. It merged with the Witch and Guejito fires, covering a combined 247,800 acres and destroying a total of 1,265 homes. The fire was not fully extinguished until Nov. 13.
Changes according to firefighters who were there
“Are we in better shape than 2007? I believe we are,” said Poway Fire Chief Jeff Chumbley. “We are doing a lot better job in that area, particularly between San Diego County, Cal Fire and San Diego city, our neighbors to the south (of Poway).”
Collaboration among the fire agencies has been key, he said.
All fire agencies protecting San Diego County hold annual wildland fire drills together so they are ready to activate should a wildfire break out, Chumbley said.
Gerboth said the county’s mutual aid model is “better than in any area that I am aware of.”
“We train together and respond together, not recognizing borders, and dispatch regardless of agency,” he said. “There has been some improvement since 2007 in efficiency of delivery in resources.”
While the 2003 and 2007 fires were considered once-in-a-century events, Gerboth said firefighters throughout the county get experience in fighting such incidents by providing mutual aid across the U.S. when assisting with wildfires, hurricanes and man-made situations.
“We continue to train personnel to make sure, through a mentorship program, that people in the department are qualified to manage large complex incidents,” Gerboth said.
“The county and the state really increased resources,” he added.
These include video modeling for fires so paths can be predicted, a statewide network of cameras so fires can be spotted faster and more aircraft resources. The latter includes SDG&E funding for two firefighting helicopters that are on standby.
In 2007, Chumbley was with the Carlsbad Fire Department. He was initially assigned to a strike team in The Crosby, near Rancho Santa Fe. But with homeowners there having done “such a good job” creating defensible space around their homes, he was moved to the Del Mar/Fairbanks Ranch area.
“We lost homes out there, but not blocks of homes,” Chumbley said.
Another improvement is changes to evacuation maps, Chumbley said. These maps will help firefighters make more efficient decisions on who should evacuate in an emergency.
“Rather than a mass evacuation we can be specific and not evacuate a mass area if we do not have to,” he said.
San Diego Fire-Rescue is better prepared with equipment, according to Gerboth. He said the city of San Diego has instituted a fleet replacement program that makes sure it has new engines as needed. Now, San Diego has “one of the best fleets that exists,” he said.
“We also have a readily available reserve with spare apparatus and equipment for surge capacity,” Gerboth said. “Previously, the challenge was we had the people, but not the extra equipment.”
The city’s equipment improvements also extend to air , Gerboth said. Aircraft are crucial to fighting wildfires during their early stages.
“We have invested in an air operations program, with three fire department helicopters and staffing 24 hours a day,” Gerboth said.
Now, one helicopter is staffed 24 hours and a second is staffed during the period when fire outbreak is most likely, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., he said. This increases to 24 hours during critical fire weather.
While the city has two helicopters that each can drop 275 gallons at a time, its third is a new Firehawk. That is a Type 1 helicopter, the highest level, which can drop 900 gallons of water at a time.
“That is three times as much and a significant tool in our toolbox to address fires quickly,” Gerboth said about the Firehawk.
In recent years, a two-person crew has been stationed year-round in San Pasqual, something instituted after the Witch Creek fire. Previously, the city’s most northern crew was in Rancho Bernardo, even though city limits extend to the San Pasqual Valley. The city of San Diego has also opened new fire stations in Carmel Valley, University Heights and southeast San Diego, Gerboth said.
While San Diego Fire-Rescue staffing is still recovering from losses incurred during the pandemic, Gerboth said all of the department’s companies are staffed daily, and with academies the 75 open positions among its 900 should be filled by July 2023.
“Every day we staff 300 on duty daily, so we have more than 500 available that we can call back … for a large incident,” Gerboth said.
Timely evacuation is key
The 2007 fire prompted the largest evacuation in the county’s history, with an estimated 515,000 people having to leave their homes. Many sheltered at Qualcomm Stadium, in hotels and at the homes of family and friends.
“We are training with the idea of evacuating more efficiently and more timely,” Chumbley said. “I think evacuation is always a challenge, including getting the word out to people.”
Apps such as AlertSanDiego are crucial to this effort, said Chumbley, who advises residents to install it on their cellphones. However, he said there are some people who, due to advanced age or income, do not have smartphones, and being able to reach these residents is a top concern. Neighbors looking out for each other is crucial during a fire or other emergency, he said.
That’s why the Poway Neighborhood Emergency Corps (PNEC) and Poway Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) are essential, along with Poway’s Senior Volunteer Patrol, he said.
“They are a huge resource when reaching people because they are in tune with their neighbors, like elderly people who need to be checked on,” Chumbley said.
Susy Turnbull, the city of Poway’s disaster preparedness coordinator, said her position was created seven years ago in response to the Witch Creek fire. She focuses on educating residents and preparing Poway for before, during and after emergencies.
This is not limited to wildfires, but can include any situations including earthquake, the pandemic, during the 2017 floods and when Poway’s potable water became contaminated in 2019.
PNEC has 25 to 30 dedicated to coordinating emergency response in their neighborhoods. They volunteer at community events to educate residents about emergency preparation.
Poway CERT has 80 — some are also in PNEC — so Turnbull estimated at least 100 volunteers are ready to step forward to help the community should disaster strike.
Turnbull said seniors who live alone or anyone who would need help evacuating should with the Sheriff’s Department so someone can check on and help them.
“Sheriff’s deputies … during a life-threatening situation will knock on doors to get people out,” Turnbull said.
But this takes time and people should not wait to be told to leave, she said.
Turnbull recommends keeping a fully-charged phone by one’s bed and ing the number with AlertSanDiego to receive notifications.
“It is better to be bothered by an annoying phone call than miss a call to evacuate,” Turnbull said.
For more information about PNEC or CERT, call Turnbull at (858) 668-4474.
The need for preparation
Throughout the city of San Diego many canyons have homes lining their rims, so vegetation along the urban interface is a threat, Gerboth said.
Residents can help decrease the danger of fire by reducing fuels, as recommended on the Ready Set Go website at sandiego.gov/fire/safety/tips/readysetgo. This includes cutting back brush and not having flammable materials, such as stacks of wood, against homes.
“Fire Safe Councils have been working to educate the communities … there are many ways to … address large open spaces that abut communities like Rancho Bernardo,” Gerboth said.
San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel identify high fire risk areas and homeowners to encourage them to be proactive in reducing risk.
“When you live in an area that is susceptible, be prepared … know egress routes and have your papers and medicines ready,” Gerboth said. “Listen to media, listen to the evacuation directions. … When asked to evacuate, do so quickly so you can be out of the area.”
During the Witch Creek fire some people waited too long to evacuate, he said. They faced a scary situation with smoke-filled streets and traffic jams, which hindered firefighters entering the neighborhoods and posed a “very dangerous” situation for all.
“Those who stayed or left too late could have been injured or killed,” Gerboth said.
In Poway, areas of most concern are on the eastern side, along with those in more mature neighborhoods, Chumbley said. He mentioned the Sycamore Canyon, Beeler Canyon and High Valley areas. Sections along Pomerado Road with lots of vegetation and homes backing up to open space are also a concern, he said.
“We really try to push defensible space in high wildfire areas,” Chumbley said. “We give tips, do inspections and follow-ups, but it is labor intensive.”
Being proactive is crucial to fortifying properties to deter wildfire. But when winds whip up to 70, 80 and 100 miles per hour, firefighters can only do so much, he said.
“It is unpredictable and can hit any part of our city,” Chumbley said.
For this reason, Chumbley said a team effort is needed. This includes residents staying informed and heeding evacuation warnings, even when they do not yet feel threatened.
“Have an evacuation plan, follow it and be proactive,” he said. “Don’t wait for the fire, leaving only when you see it. … I can’t tell you how many fires … people have waited too long to evacuate.”
Wildfire is a year-round threat
While the county’s worst fires have occurred in the fall, Gerboth said constant vigilance is needed all year.
“Honestly, fire season is year-round,” he said. “There are certain times when it peaks, the most destructive in San Diego were all in late October. It is when the brush and vegetation burns because it is dry and we have contributing weather due to Santa Ana winds.
“But unfortunately, over the last several years, fires have been year-round,” Gerboth said.
