Fire scorches hills east of Temecula; homes lost

Not much remains of a home on Highway 79 destroyed in fire Saturday. (photo by Jose Arballo Jr./SWRNN)

A wildfire pushed by gusty winds and fanned by high temperatures raced through the rugged hillsides east of Temecula Saturday, leaving behind hundreds of blackened acres and destroying an unknown number of homes.

The fire, dubbed the Vail fire, continues to burn into the evening near the foothill communities about 15 miles east of Temecula along Highway 79, the main traffic artery linking the towns of Anza, Aguanga and the Temecula Valley. There were no reports of injuries.

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Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies evacuated residents on Vail Lake north to Sage Road, according to Jody Hagemann, spokeswoman for CalFire. Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said the fire started at about 4 p.m. in the Cleveland National Forest in the Temecula area, where the temperature is in the mid-90s.

Armando Rodriguez, 38, was driving along Highway 79 from Anza when he saw a wall of flames and smoke to the west. He and his wife had just dropped off a friend in Anza, located near the Riverside-San Diego county line, and were headed toward Temecula when the fire started.

“It was nothing but black everywhere,” said Rodriguez, looking over a sea of blackened hillsides on both side of the winding highway. “You could not see anything. I was worried, but I could not turn around, it was too late. We were kind of stuck.”

The winds were described as erratic and blowing in different directions.

Rodriguez, who lost his home in the 2007 San Diego County fires, said they could see the flames roaring toward the homes that dot the rural area, where mobile homes and large ranch-style residences are spread out behind fences.

“It was getting worse and worse, but we were able to make it through,” he said, recalling the hellish scene of flames, burning ash and smoke.

The couple’s pickup stalled along the highway about 10 miles east of Temecula, near a section of road that had been set up as a check point by law enforcement officers.

About a half-mile east, firefighters mopped up around several homes there were destroyed in the 42000 block of Highway 79. There was little left behind except for the burned frames of some homes, and the soot-covered chimneys of others. There were fences that were still burning hours after the flames swept through.

As darkness fell and temperatures dropped, the glow of the flames could be seen along the hillsides and in small pockets where homes once stood. Burned appliances, children’s toys and furniture still smolder as fire fighters begin to pack their gear and prepare to move to the east, where the fire continues to burn.

Fire destroyed this home off Highway 79 east of Temecula. (photo by Jose Arballo Jr./SWRNN)

To the west, anxious residents gather behind roadblocks set up along the highway at Anza Road, many not knowing what has become of their homes. Some try to convince officers to let them through, but they are told it is too dangerous.

The evacuated homes are along Highway 79, and an evacuation center has opened at Great Oak.

Read more: Fire Prevention and Preparedess

Tags: CalFire, SDNN, SWRNN, Temecula

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at 8:14 pm and is filed under Local News, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.