Here are the Rice and Horno Fires’ current status from www.fire.ca.gov as of 10:34 a.m. this morning:
Rice Fire
Rice Canyon
San Diego County
This fire has burned 9,000 acres in Rice Canyon in Northern San Diego County and is 30 percent contained. 206 homes, 2 commercial properties and 40 outbuildings have been destroyed. 400 homes are threatened currently. Evacuation orders are in effect for Fallbrook and outlying areas affecting 35,000 residents. One firefighter injury has been reported. Fire spread has slowed due to decreased winds, however, the fire has potential for increased growth. 1,095 firefighters are assigned to this fire under unified command. The estimated cost of this fire is $1.2 million. Rice Fire Information Line (619) 590-3160.
Horno/Ammo Fire
Camp Pendleton
San Diego County
The Horno/Ammo Fire has burned 17,000 acres since October 23. It is currently 40-50 percent contained. The Horno Fire has two heads, one north bound tied into Basilone Road and the other south bound tied into Aliso Canyon Road. Firing Operations are being conducted on the northern head from San Onofre to Camp Horno and along Canyon Road to Bailone Road. For information on area relocations, please contact the Horno/Ammo Fire Information Line at (866) 430-2764.
The North County Times reports:
The evacuation order for the Olive Hill area of Fallbrook at Highway 76 north of Burma Road was lifted this morning. Only residents with identification will be allowed into the area, [Ron Lane, director of the county’s office of emergency services,] said.
All areas of Bonsall south of Highway 76 already had been opened for people to return home, Lane said.
Additional areas of Fallbrook, including the downtown area, are not safe enough to allow residents to return, but officials expect that to change so that a “significant part of Fallbrook” will be able to return within the next 24 hours, Lane said.
The North County Times reports:
Fire crews have their arms around about 20 percent of the Rice Canyon fire in Fallbrook, CalFire officials said Wednesday night.
There is also a plan that could see some Fallbrook residents back in their homes by the weekend.
The fire — up to 9,000 acres as of late Wednesday — began chewing through vegetation in the Santa Margarita riverbed early Wednesday morning, threatening about 400 homes in Rainbow Glen and northern Fallbrook.
“They are going to work on it really hard through the night,” CalFire spokesman David Shew said late Wednesday evening. “It looks like we might be able to get a handle on it pretty well.”
thevillagenews.com has updated information as of 7:00 pm.
UPDATE (7:00 pm)
North County Fire has reported a significant improvement in the fire conditions. Currently no flames are traveling upward into the air; All live fire activity is confined to heat on the ground. The velocity has dropped significantly and firefighters are beginning to feel coastal conditions coming in. Firefighters are still battling the heat in the Santa Margarita River Valley, from the Willowglen area to De Luz. At 7:00 pm North county fire announced that the base of operations for the Falbrook fire has now been moved onto camp Pendleton. The move was necessary in order to provide adequate facility space for the hundreds of firefighters that are battling the blaze. Full containment of the fire is expected Sunday, October 28th. Fire authorities say it will be at least 2 days before Fallbrook residents will be allowed to return to their homes.
This is great news all around and pushes up the full containment date significantly. Still praying for the folks out in the Santa Margarita River Valley and De Luz area, though.
The North County Times reports:
Note to readers: The following list was compiled today from various stories posted elsewhere on the North County Times Web site. All information reflects the status of events as of the time stated; some lists may duplicate addresses.
Fallbrook home report as of 4 p.m.
Here is the latest on damaged and destroyed homes in Fallbrook and areas where homes appear to be OK:
Four roads where homes are undamaged:
Vista del Pacifico
Peony Drive
Citrus Lane
Citrus Drive
No homes or businesses have been damaged in the downtown area
Homes that have been destroyed:
1446 Wilt Road
1562 Wilt Road
1612 Wilt Road
2373 Wilt Road
3775 Reche Road
3725 Larkspur Lane
3700 Larkspur Lane
3770 Poppy Lane
3785 Wildflower Lane
2425 Vern Drive
2305 Vern Drive
Home directly across of 2425 Vern Drive but whose address could not be determined
Our crew was unable to go down Calle Canonero Drive or Lorita Lane, where most homes appeared to be OK. The same was true for Country Road and Juniper Ridge Lane.
Off Canonita Drive, between Wilt Road and Gird Road, our crew saw a mix of homes destroyed homes and some still standing.
Fallbrook addresses of homes lost and not lost:
On Country Road and Juniper Ridge Lane, no homes lost.
Off Canonita Drive, between Wilt Road and Gird Road, a mix of homes lost and saved.
Lost:
3322 Canonita Drive; partial loss, the garage.
3352 Canonita Drive: same.
1 home saved — 1482 Via Chaparral
1505 Via Chaparral, gone
1510 Via Chaparral, gone
1520 gone; garage standing
1620 gone;
houses uphill and downhill from 1510 Via Chaparral are also gone. No addresses available.
Los Arboles — one home gone.
As I was reading Tom’s update about DeLuz, I was speaking to my parents who called me from their home in Rainbow. They had been evacuated early Monday morning and just returned today. They, too, were soon visited by the sheriff to evacuate the area.
They said that the fire doesn’t appear to have burned any further north than South Rainbow Valley Blvd. But, sadly, a few homes below the 7th Adventist Church were lost.
Small update; anecdotal, but maybe interesting.
My parents headed back to our house in DeLuz this morning, with no roadblocks in sight. They said the Rosa fire seemed to be under control and could see no evidence of flames in their vicinity.
Later, however, the sheriff knocked on the door and asked all residents to leave. Not sure of the reasoning, but presumably the DeLuz area is still under threat.
sdcountyemergency.com have updated their map of areas affected by the fire as of 2:00 p.m. this afternoon.
We apologize for the seeming lack of updates today in regards to the Rice fire. There has been very little in updates regarding this fire; even less than before. We are also staying away from information that either isn’t published or eye witnessed to keep from spreading unnecessary or worrisome rumors.
We applaud the news stations for moving crews into Fallbrook today. There may not be any new information, but I can vouch that NBC has been moving around the Fallbrook area frequently today.
The Rice Fire is currently 15% contained and has consumed 7,500 acres including 206 homes, 2 commercial buildings, 40 other outbuildings, and over 20,000 avocado trees. All of Fallbrook and DeLuz have been evacuated with further evacuations underway in parts of Bonsall, Oceanside, Camp Pendleton, and areas along the 76.
The VillageNews.com reports:
The only active fire to our knowledge in Fallbrook is the Santa Margarita river valley area (Red Mountain Fire). A plan is being developed with SDG&E to allow residents back into their neighborhoods as they are determined to be safe. They are not saying when this may occur, as SDG&E must inspect every street and connection before allowing residents to return home.
The Horno fire in Camp Pendleton has burned between 6,000 to 7,500 acres. Various reports have estimated that this fire is between 10% to 15% contained.
(At this time, I’ve been unable to clarify if this fire is a mergence of the Ammo fire and the Wilcox fire or if this is a third fire in Camp Pendleton entirely. Any clarification is appreciated.)
sdcountyemergency.com have updated their map of areas affected by the fire as of 8:00 a.m. this morning. The map shows the emergence of the Horno fire in Camp Pendleton towards the coast as well as Rice fire’s northwestern movement toward DeLuz.
Click here to download the PDF version of this map.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 are now open, the CHP says. Northbound lanes are still closed between state Route 76 and Cristianitos Road in San Clemente due to a fire burning at Camp Pendleton.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
The fire burning in Camp Pendleton has charred 6,000 acres and is moving north and west between Las Pulgas Road and the Border Patrol checkpoint.
As a result, the I-5 has been shut down between San Onofre and Oceanside as well as parts of Highway 76 and the Metrolink.
The Village News reports:
The Sheriff’s Department has activated reverse 9-1-1 calls to alert the residents of De Luz of a mandatory evacuation. De Luz is north of Camp Pendleton.
Residents are advised to evacuate on De Luz / Murrieta Road north or Sandia Creek Drive north toward Riverside County.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
Fire officials have issued mandatory evacuations for the following communities: Bonsall, San Luis Rey Heights and Winterwarm on the north side of state Route 76. Residents are being told to use SR-76 heading west away from the fires.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
Mandatory evacuations have been reissued for Fallbrook, sheriff’s Lt. Phil Brust said.
He said flames that had swept west toward Camp Pendleton have now backtracked to the east, with a shift in winds. Residents may spend the night at an evacuation center at El Camino High School in Oceanside, at 400 Rancho Del Oro Drive.
nctimes.com reports:
The Rice fire is 7,500 acres and 10% contained with full containment expected on October 28th, with full control expected November 5th. 1 firefighter has been injured. 206 residences have been destroyed, 2 commercial properties, 40 outbuildings, 91 vehicles and 20,000 Avocado trees. Active burning in the Rainbow Glen area. Evacuation of Deluz Canyon area.
Officials also report that the Camp Pendleton fires should be 100 percent contained by late Tuesday.
sdcountyemergency.com has an updated map of the areas affected by the fires throughout the county.
Click here to download a PDF of the area as of 6:00 pm. As you can see by their estimate, the southernmost regions of the fire were contained along Gird Rd. except for a small portion near Highway 76.
We will keep you informed as to when the county releases any more updated maps.
Photos from Tom at the Brooktown Blog.
NBC just announced that they are in the process of moving crews to the Rice fire. If you don’t get NBC on either channel 7 (cable) or channel 39 (Antenna), you can also watch live online at:
NBC San Diego LIVE
While the information regarding acreage and property loss haven’t update, estimated containment dates have been updated:
The Rice Fire is 6,100 acres and 0% contained, firefighters are looking for full containment on November 1st. 500 residences have been destroyed and 30 have been damaged. 1 Firefighter has been injured.
Currently there are 55 engines, 6 fire crews, 1 dozer (170 firefighters). Fire is making major runs toward Fallbrook, and may burn in to Santa Margarita and Sandia Creek drainages.
According to a friend still in Fallbrook:
Just got gas from the Shell gas station.
Major Market is open for business today, albeit a skeleton crew.
Click the photo for more. They are hard to look at.
Thank you Jagr.
If you are looking for loved ones displaced by the fire, a good place to check is the Red Cross “Safe and Well List.” You can search for friends and family that have registered at a Red Cross shelter.
Thanks to Martha for the tip.
According to a friend still inside Fallbrook:
East of Live Oak Park is burned.
East of Gird is burned.
The fire has jumped over Mission Road and is now north, heading towards DeLuz.
Apparently another fire has sprung up at East Mission and Davis Road, near Stagecoach.This is not looking good. From talking to people with family and friends who are fighting the fire, the news media is painting a rosier picture than reality would dictate. (This is especially bad given how grim the media coverage is.)My parents are finally evacuating out of their house in DeLuz as they heard on the news that the Fallbrook side has begun to burn as well. The only bright spot I can see here is that the Rosa fire on Rancho California is 70% contained and those DeLuz residents still left should be able to get out to Temecula safely.
Update Apparently the Davis/Mission fire was put out quickly by the fire department. No need to worry yet.
Cheri Petterson, CDF public information person, 7:40 am:
The fire in the hills west of Temecula is 70 percent contained. It spread to 325 acres overnight. No injuries have been reported and there is NO REPORTED STRUCTURE DAMAGE. Crews are up in the area checking it out this morning, and cell service up there is spotty, but CDF will get us more information as available. “We were very fortunate,” Patterson said. “The winds were very cooperative ovenight.” About 200 firefighters fought the blaze. Patterson also praised the residents of De Luz for their cooperation. Voluntary evacuations were called for last night and between 50-100 people left. Many of them ended up at the Red Cross shelter at the Temecula CRC. De Luz residents are being let back to their homes this morning but they must show IDs at the checkpoint at Rancho Calif. Road
I’m hearing that there is a new fire in Pala, although I don’t have any details available yet.
NCTimes.com:
A fire broke out in the hills about two miles west of Temecula just after 11 p.m Monday west of Rancho California Road in the area of Via Barranca and Via Vaquero.
It looks like the last way out of Fallbrook may be closing.
My dad:
I am at my home located at Sandia Creek and Rock Mtn rd in the De luz area of Fallbrook. We are just a few hundred yards from the Riverside county line. Looking north there was a little smoke around 30 mins ago, but no sign of flame at all. We have not seen any evidence of the Fallbrook fire since the smoke visible to our south clear 4 or 5 hours ago. So we are sitting tight until we see hard evidence of a spread of the Via Vaaquero fire. Hopefully the firefighters are getting it knocked down. The winds have dropped quite a bit which is encouraging. The baby pics are in the minivan, ready to go.
Winds are light, 10 mph or so in De Luz. Still no evidence of fire here. Daylight will bring heavier winds I bet. Hope the pros on the fire line are getting the upper hand. Fallbrook has taken it on the chin. Much worse than the Gavilan fire of 2003. Very sad, and my sympathies go out to anyone affected.
Still no evidence of fire in any direction in this part of De Luz, halfway between Temecula and Fallbrook on Sandia Creek Drive. Power is on, sat TV and internet works, sipping a cold beer.
That’s my dad for you.
Gutwrenching video from inside Fallbrook. Valley Oaks trailer park is totally destroyed. My thanks go out to these journalists who risked their lives to give us this dramatic video.
Link
If you’re away from Fallbrook tonight, 10 News coverage seems to be pretty good. Even better: Live web streaming.
Not sure how I missed this, or how true it is, but the Village News reports:
Fallbrook has been made the number one priority for the State of California, according to North County Fire Public Information Officer John Buchanan. Buchanan said, “The situation is very bad. It’s grim and we need a lot of help.”
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:
This fire has burned 1500 acres in Rice Canyon in Northern San Diego County. 50 homes have been destroyed and another 30 have been damaged. The town of Fallbrook has been evacuated. Rice Fire Information Line (619) 590-3160.
From the NCTimes comments:
“My dad has refused to leave to protect there house. 8:54 Myrtle Creek & Via Vista still standing - no houses burned.”
Sigalert.com and Google Maps report flowing traffic on the I-5. Does anyone have family on the freeway with first hand accounts?
Just heard from my roommate, whose family lives in Carlsbad, that the area is being evacuated. More information as it becomes available.
It sounds as though the main arteries out of Fallbrook to the south are getting jammed. According to one NCTimes.com poster, the drive from the Naval Weapons Station to the Las Pulgas/I-5 on-ramp is four hours.
I want to remind all of our Fallbrook friends who have yet to evacuate that you can also reach Orange County via the I-15 from Temecula. Reports indicate that DeLuz/Sandia Creek Rd are relatively traffic free at the moment, and if you are heading towards an evacuation center in Orange County you can take the 15 N to the 91 W to the 5 S.
Please remember to drive safely and keep calm.
New photos from Mission & Pico/DeLuz and Winterhaven. Credit goes to my friend Jagr.
If anyone has any photos from today, please feel free to take advantage of the “Upload” button on the linked page. Or just e-mail your photos to tdale2-w3rc@gallery.mac.com.
Talking to my parents, who live in DeLuz. They report receiving a Reverse 911 evacuation call. However, the call did not specify any geographical boundaries and they suspect that it was a shotgun approach to everyone with a Fallbrook number.
They say that the fire is at least 10 miles from their house, so they will be spending the night in Fallbrook. The cars are all packed and they will be sleeping with one eye open, however.
Word is coming in that more and more are losing their homes. Valley Oaks mobile home park is said to be hit but I could not find any information about the extent of the destruction.
Updates as they become available.
First-hand account from a friend still in town:
Everything south of Reche is really really really scary smokey. I was scared to stay there. I snapped some photos, checked on some friend’s houses, and got out.
Scattered reports that the Pala Mesa Golf Course is gone, and conflicting information that Live Oak Park is either on fire or is already burned.
“We just don’t have a lot of resources available; resources are spread very, very thin throughout the whole county,” said John Buchanan, public information officer for North County Fire.
The fire so far has destroyed 300 acres and residents are being evacuated to El Toro High School, 25255 Toledo Way in Lake Forest. (Incidentally, this is near me. If I can buy anyone a beer, please let me know.)
All 40,000 residents of Fallbrook have been ordered to evacuate the area. The fire has eaten up about 750 acres and is spreading. It is moving toward Fallbrook on Reche Road, spreading on the east side of Interstate 15.
