REPORT FROM VESPER ROAD

Our reporter Dan Kidder, who has stayed in Valley Center, despite crummy air quality, filed this report from his Vesper Road location:

"Things in Valley Center continue to be calm, at least here on Vesper Road,
but with the help of some neighbors we've been able to piece together what
we consider pretty reliable information about the surrounding parts of
town.
Around 10 a.m., Robert Palle reported that in a short drive around Vesper,
Mac Tan and Fruitvale, he saw firefighting crews in action, but hadn't
seen any flames in the area.
As of 12:30 p.m., a resident just to the south of Valley Center High
School reported seeing the haze of smoke we all see to the north, but
hadn't seen any flames of any kind. The east side of Cole Grade Road
appeared to be fine; no flames there, but still plenty of smoke. At that
point, we had heard again that the grade coming into Valley Center was
closed, but outgoing traffic was getting through just fine.
According to San Diego news broadcasts around this time, the La Jolla fire
(now called the Poomacho Fire) had worked its way towards Palomar
Mountain, and may be converging with the Witch Creek Fire from Ramona,
somewhere east of Valley Center. The report also said that the Valley
Center evacuations would most likely be in effect for at least 24 hours.
Also around this time, we heard that residents in the Saddle Creek area
were without power.
At 1 p.m., Kevin Bennett reported from the area between Cool Valley Road
and Yellow Brick Road that the smoke was heavy, with some patches of sky
visible, but no flames could be seen. He also mentioned that conversations
with friends and relatives outside the area weren't sure how much danger
was imminently present in the various parts of the community. He mentioned
that some of his neighbors were still in their homes at that point.
"There's still some people here and there," he said. "But it doesn't look
as threatening as the reports say."
Also around 1 p.m., radio reports indicated that there hadn't been any
flames sighted in the Old Castle/Cold Creek area.
Roland Horakh, reporting from near Valley Center Middle School, mentioned
a radio broadcast in which Bill Horn indicated that the La Jolla fire was
mostly to the north of the 76, but that a portion of the Witch Creek fire
had worked its way up the hills to the south of North Lake Wohlford Drive.
At that point, firefighters had been able to keep the fire to the east of
Lake Wohlford, so Horakh reported seeing lots of smoke, but nothing else.
At 1:30, a radio report indicated that the evacuation center at Valley
Center High School was in need of bottled water and non-perishible food
items.
Shortly thereafter, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Matt Tyler reported that
he had just left Valley Center High School, and that they had found food
in the school to prepare for the evacuees, and also that EOC had brought
sack lunches to be given out. He also said that once some residents began
to leave for the night, heading north to Temecula or other places, most
evacuees left the high school to either return home or head for a safe
destination.
As for things here on Vesper Road, the smoke is still present to the
north, and since the winds have died down to almost nothing, a lot of the
smoke seems to be settling down into the valley east of here. Hopefully
this means that the fires will be even a little more easily contained, and
that things will continue to get better.
For now, the general feeling is cautious optimism, although there are no
guarantees. After the unnerving conditions surrounding the evacuation this
morning, this afternoon has unfolded better than most had hoped. We still
have power, we still have water, we still have the luxury of a functioning
internet connection. Things could be so much worse, and from what we've
seen this weekend all throughout the county, things are much worse in so
many places.
And so with a great portion of the county still engulfed in flames, there
is still a long way to go. Keep praying out there, and we hope to have
some good news for you later on."


Dan Kidder
Sports/Valley Life Editor
Valley Roadrunner
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