Fire Storms in San Diego Burn Hundreds of Thousands of Acres.
Story Number: NNS031029-02
Release Date: 10/29/2003 9:42:00 AM
By Journalist 3rd Class Jessica O'Haver, Naval Media Center, Fleet Support Detachment, San Diego
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Fire Storm 2003 continues to spread across San Diego County causing many military families to evacuate.
A reported 3,200 Navy homes were evacuated in the San Diego areas of Ramona, Eucalyptus, Woodlake, Murphy Canyon and Pomerado Terrace, leaving 2,200 military families in emergency shelters.
“Everybody started watering down their roofs and stuff, and packing and just frantically throwing stuff in their cars," said Deanna Trask, as she sat at the Naval Air Station North Island emergency shelter with her three children and husband Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Frank Trask of HC-11 .
"I just kept thinking it wasn’t going to happen to us. We had our cats and our bird and we didn’t want to leave until they made us leave," Trask said. "Then the cops [came] around, telling us we had to leave. We didn’t know where to go and my husband immediately thought -- work. So we came to North Island and he thought it would be clear down here and the fire couldn’t get to us.
“They had cots, blankets and they had tons of food. People have been bringing baked goods all day long. It’s so nice,” she added.
Military families also evacuated to emergency shelters at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Station San Diego 32nd Street and Submarine Base Point Loma.
Commander, Navy Region Southwest Rear Adm. Jose Betancourt, noted there were no reports of military families or homes being scorched by the flames. “Our singular focus today and the following few days until these fires are under control remains on Navy families and their safety, and we’ll make sure that we do everything in our power to make sure those families are safe,” Betancourt said.
The fires burned 19,000 acres of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar with no aircraft or building damage reported.
Camp Pendleton also reported 100 percent containment of a fire that burned 8,592 acres but damaged no buildings.
