Crews work overnight against wind-fueled fire near San Diego
At least 5,500 acres scorched
Click for Scenes from the wildfire in Alpine, California
January 3, 2001, 11:18 p.m. EST
ALPINE, California (CNN) -- Firefighting crews prepared to work through the night as strong winds continue to fuel a fast-moving wildfire about 30 miles east of San Diego. The flames and smoke have driven hundreds of people from their homes, carrying family pets and precious mementos.
"There's no containment on it," said Luis Alvarez, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Note: I worked with Luis Alvarez at 2 CDF fire stations for 3 years - Website author).
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the fire had scorched 5,500 acres, he said.
Satellite images showed smoke billowing over the Pacific Ocean. The National Weather Service extended a wind advisory into Thursday and the earliest precipitation isn't expected until at least Monday.
Late Wednesday, thick smoke and dime-sized chunks of ash were drifting towards downtown San Diego, said Donna Adams, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry.
"The (air) conditions are absolutely the worst," Adams said.
One woman with severe asthma was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Eileen Cornish, a spokeswoman for Sharp Medical Center.
Homes leveled in matter of minutes
The blaze, dubbed the Viejas Fire after a nearby Indian reservation, had been heading toward Alpine, a community of about 20,000, for most of Wednesday. But by the afternoon it was moving towards the communities of Jamul and Lawson Valley to the southwest. It also burned part of the Sycuan Indian Reservation.
"We anticipate the fire moving in that direction and we're asking people to self-evacuate," Deputy Pete Carrillo, a spokesman with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
The blaze, originally fanned by 65-mph Santa Ana winds, forced the evacuation of an estimated 350 homes in several communities and shut down a five-mile stretch of Interstate 8 east of San Diego for most of Wednesday.
Betty Hawkes, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Forestry Service, said four freestanding houses, five trailers used as homes and four shed-type buildings were destroyed in the heavily wooded, sparsely populated area.
The lost homes were leveled to the ground in a matter of minutes. "It's a very volatile situation," Ron Reina, a spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, told CNN.
Columns of smoke rising 30,000 feet in the air could be seen from 70 miles away, local television reported, as the fire, driven by shifting winds, hopscotched around the terrain.
San Diego County Supervisor Diane Jacobs said a local emergency had been declared. She said the county would ask California Gov. Gray Davis to declare a state emergency.
About 1,400 people are fighting the blaze, using five air tankers, five helicopters, 50 fire engines and four bulldozers.
Casino evacuated
"Nice way to start a new year, don't you think," said 72-year-old George Vanek, who lost his home to a 1970 fire that burned 30,000 acres in the area. He fled with his wife and two daughters, grabbing a family photo album and their pet German shepherd before they drove off.
The 24-hour casino at the nearby Viejas Indian Reservation also was evacuated but Steven TeSam, chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, told CNN that the 1,600-acre reservation is not currently threatened.
"A lot of us have grown up in Alpine, so our heart goes out to those people," he said.
As gambling was halted, about 250 people left the building. "There was enough time for everyone to cash out," security chief Lyn Reynolds said. "There was no panic. It was in orderly fashion."
Guards planned to remain at the casino, protected by a large parking lot, unless the flames threatened the building, Reynolds said.
'It was red everywhere'
Authorities said a vehicle fire Wednesday morning in a viewing area along Interstate 8 was being investigated as the cause. The fire spread quickly in Alpine, a San Diego suburb of both luxury and modest homes.
Within four hours, the blaze raced across about 1,000 acres of dried brush and grass. Small trees exploded in flames. Buildings -- ranging from farm sheds to custom-built tile-roofed trophy homes -- were engulfed by flames.
Rescue workers braved thick, black smoke to go door-to-door and warn people of the fire. Authorities also used loudspeakers before dawn to rouse residents of the rural, mountainous area.
Richele Price, a retiree, was awakened at 5:15 a.m. when the fire was "just a matter of feet" from her home. "The highway patrol came up with their loudspeaker and said 'Get out! Just get out!' It was red everywhere," she said, her voice choking with emotion as she drove away.
Price, who has owned her home since 1989, had no time to grab anything.
Residents scrambled to get horses and other animals out of the area. Some simply let their livestock run free. Two horses suffered burns when they ran through the fire.
'Driest December in 70 years'
Meanwhile, across Southern California, firefighters beefed up crews because of high fire danger from windy and dry conditions. The winter, normally rainy, has been extremely dry.
Daytime temperatures have been near 80 degrees and there has been no rain for months. "We've just finished our driest month of December in 70 years," said Jeff Fehlberg with Heartland Fire Communications.
Further complicating firefighting efforts are fierce winds, known as Santa Ana winds, that roar in from the east, driving through the area's hilly terrain and thick vegetation. "As the wind comes off the desert, it just dries everything out," said TeSam.
Click for Scenes from the wildfire (Same pics as above)
The Associated Press and Reuters
contributed to this report.