GOOD CONTROL OF FIRE IN VALLEY CENTER

8:15 a.m. Wednesday
I just spoke to Mel Schuler, president of the Valley Center Fire Protection District board. He just got back from a briefing of the state CalFire authorities who have taken over control of the fire fighting activities here.

Schuler also took a drive of the threatened areas. "I did get out in the area a little bit today. I think they feel pretty good about the control on Valley Center. There’s some spot fires. They are feeling good about the Yellow Brick Road and the areas between Lake Wohlford and Woods Valley."

Some structures have been lost on the Guejito Road area, on Old Wagon Wheel Road. That area seems to always get hammered whenever there is a major fire.

There have also been an unknown number of structures that burned on the Rincon Reservation.

Schuler did not have any information available yet on individual structures lost. But he hopes to get some to us later.

Firefighting efforts have been assisted by the dying down yesterday afternoon and last night of the high winds.

The evacuation center at the high school is still operating.

Roads are still closed to incoming traffic.

One of the major issues is about keeping them closed until the actual threat is passed. "The issue is to keep those roads open and people off the roads so they don't get in the way of emergency vehicles. This is especially acute because of the road construction going on Valley Center Road.

"They can’t have people going up and down the roads while they have emergency equipment trying to get places. I suspect that once the roads are open they will be open permanently," said Schuler.

I'll have a separate posting on the situation on Palomar Mountain.

A briefing by CalFire officials at 10 a.m. should further clarify the situation.