The Battle for Palomar Mountain

While the Southland fire situation is remarkably improved today, there are still major battles going on including the fight to save homes and property on Palomar Mountain (from the SD Tribune Fire Blog):

Firefighters are waging a house-to-house battle on top of Palomar Mountain to save structures on Crestline Drive, where most of its residents live.

As flames approach houses and cabins, fire crew rush in to put them out. Wind conditions are moderate now, and so far the strategy has succeeded in preventing a major property damage. Fire officials, however, say increased winds would make the effort impossible.

Palomar has about 300 permanent and temporary residences.

Fires are also burning in Palomar State Park, a popular campground, although the extend of the damage there was uncertain. South Grade Road, one of two routes up the mountain, is littered with downed and still-burning trees and branches.

Several homes have been destroyed near the bottom of South Grade, where the fire began climbing the mountain yesterday afternoon. The flames on the mountain are from the Poomacha fire, which began as a house fire on the La Jolla Indian reservation.

I've very familiar with South Grade Road and the State Park on top of the mountain. I don't normally get car sick, but every time I drove up South Grade to visit a major Christian camp that was a former client of mine I'd have to take some Dramamine to keep from making myself sick on the hairpin turns.

The camp is located within the State Park borders, and when I used to handle their insurance, I was always concerned that some day a fire would sweep through there and take the whole thing out. I hope today's not that day.