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'Witch' Fire Forces Town of Ramona to Evacuate

Monday, October 22, 2007

WITCH CREEK, Oct. 21, 2007 (none) -- All 36,000 residents of Ramona were ordered to evacuate Sunday night because of a wind-driven brush fire in northeast San Diego County that has scorched at least 5,000 acres.

The blaze, which sent choking smoke through much of North County, was reported about 12:40 p.m. at Deer Canyon and Julian roads in the Witch Creek area, according to California Highway Patrol.

All of Ramona, an unincorporated town of about 36,000 residents, was under a mandatory evacuation order, according to sheriff's Lt. Phillip Brust.

The Sheriff's Department is notifying more than 10,000 households by phone to leave their homes.

Evacuees were asked to go to Mira Mesa High School, 10510 Reagan Road or Escondido High School, 1535 N. Broadway, according to the American Red Cross. A shelter at Poway High School has been closed.

All Ramona Unified School District schools will be closed Monday due to the so-called Witch fire, district officials said. All Poway Unified School District schools are also closed.

Evacuations were also being carried out in the Witch Creek area, Old Julian Highway and San Diego Country Estates, according to Cal Fire.

Highway 78 in the area of the fire was closed, as was Old Julian Highway between Ramona and Santa Ysabel.

Highway 79, north of the reservation, was also closed and traffic was being re-routed to Highway 76.

Mayor Jerry Sanders said he expects the fire to enter the San Diego city limits sometime early Monday.

"There is a high potential the Witch fire will enter our city limits," Sanders said. "This is a very quickly evolving situation."

He encouraged residents who are asked to evacuate to heed the call and vacate their homes.

"Please, if you are asked to evacuate, leave the area," he said.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Tracy Jarman said the Witch fire has split into two flanks, one burning toward Poway, the other moving in the direction of the San Pasqual Valley.

She said the fire is moving "more quickly than we anticipated."

Jarman said the city and county have requested help from around the state and reinforcements are expected soon.

"The resources are headed this way, we just don't know when they will get here," the fire chief said.

The Witch fire is one of two in San Diego County and seven in Southern California that has prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency for San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

The proclamation allows the state Office of Emergency Services to deploy personnel and equipment to assist in the various firefights.

A wind-fueled brush fire in rural southern San Diego County that has grown to 14,000 acres killed one person Sunday and injured 17 others, including four firefighters hospitalized in serious condition.

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