A Weekend We Didn’t Expect

Cedar Creek Fire Storm of 2003

By John W. Minto

I am a Police Officer for the City of San Diego, and a Council Member for the City of Santee.  I have seen many tragedies and horrors during my twenty-three and half years on the job.  Anyone would naturally think these experiences would prepare me for what I was about to encounter.  This is my story and not a second-hand account or the recollection of a television news story.  The devastation I saw and felt from the Cedar Creek Fire Storm is one tragedy that will leave me with a lasting impression. 

The weekend of October 25, 2003 was certainly not what I expected.  I started Saturday in the usual manner by attending the regular meeting of my Kiwanis Club at 7:30 a.m.  Since the Fall Frenzy Kraft Fair was going on in another part of Santee, I left the meeting a little early to check out the fair.  I visited with friends, vendors, the Boy Scout Troop and met with people for several hours.  It was truly a good morning.  I finished the day by running in the 2003 Light the Night, Crime Stoppers 5 K run.  This was obviously a very busy day for me and I went to bed early.  I could not have known Saturday would be the prelude to an even busier and hectic next few days.

The odd sound of my mobile phone ringing at about 6:00 a.m. awakened me.  I could only think, “Who would be calling this early on Sunday morning?”  By the time I was awake enough to get up; the caller had left a message for me.  I decided to get up and check the message because I figured nobody calls that early on Sunday morning unless there is bad news.

The Santee City Manager, Keith Till had called to tell me about the fire.  I looked outside, saw the amount of smoke in the air, and knew this was not going to be a typical brush fire.  I turned the television on to see if there was any news coverage.  The news reported the fire was out of control and communities were in peril.  The decision to go to city hall was not difficult at all.  Resources would be needed and I may be able to help. 

More and more evidence of the disaster appeared as I drove to city hall.  I didn’t see any Deputy Sheriffs patrolling the neighborhoods.  I did see several San Diego Police cars driving throughout Santee.  To me, this was a sure sign of a mutual aid agreement implemented. 

Keith and I arrived at city hall and he briefed me about the fire.  Mayor Randy Voepel arrived a few minutes later.  Keith and Randy had little information about the establishment of emergency services.  We knew the news said the Red Cross had opened an evacuation shelter at Santana High School.  The Sheriff’s office had not notified us yet of the mutual aid situation so we needed to check that out.  I volunteered to go to Santana High School and to the Sheriff’s Station to see what was happening.

Red Cross volunteers were in the process of setting up the shelter at Santana High School and only a few people were reporting for assistance.  A San Diego Police Captain, two Lieutenants, and several Sergeants were at the Sheriff’s station.  One Deputy Sheriff Sergeant was calling deputies back to work.  I returned to city hall and reported my findings to Mayor Voepel and Manager Till.

Eleven o’clock arrived and the day showed signs of being a long one so Mayor Voepel and I stopped for lunch before going to the front lines of the fire to meet with Fire Chief Bob Pfohl for an update.  Having participated in disasters before, I felt a bit embarrassed when Mayor Voepel realized before me that the firefighters had been out all night without any food.  He quickly ordered 30 sandwiches to go. 

We met Chief Pfohl and several fire crews at the north end of Strathmore Road, where they were setting backfires to protect the homes.  The firefighters took turns breaking for lunch and I watched them discuss the conditions, where to set the backfires, and successfully prevent the out of control fire from claiming homes.  With only a short absence to check on my family, I rejoined Chief Pfohl as he moved from location to location evaluating potential hazards and directing the deployment of resources.

The smoke filled skies blocked out the sun to the point that it seemed twilight all day long and the burning hillsides lighted the skies when night finally fell.  We drove into neighborhood after neighborhood where people stood in the street looking toward the burning hills.  There were no fire trucks with us.  It was just Chief Pfohl and me.  We were the only emergency service there and I will never forget the look on the faces of the people.  There were looks of panic, fear, and desperation.  Tears streamed down their faces as they looked upon the impending peril and loss of home.  The fire trucks eventually arrived in each of the neighborhoods, and suppressed the fires before moving on to the next. 

After a while, the streets all looked the same.  The streets stuck out into the hills, like fingers.  At the end of one of the streets, I saw a man, who appeared to be in his sixties, walking around with a jug of lemonade.  Tears streamed down his face as he offered the drink to the firefighters who just saved his home.  I introduced myself to the man and thanked him for taking care of the firefighters.  He wept openly and told me he worked for many years as a fire engineer and knew when he saw the fire coming toward his home, there was no way his home would survive the fire.  After all, there were no firefighters there.  And like a miracle, the firefighters suddenly and out of nowhere appeared, fought the fire, and saved his home.

This scenario played repeatedly throughout the night.  Chief Pfohl requested additional fire support several times during the night and there was none available.  So I watched in amazement at the dedication, loyalty, and professionalism of the tired and hungry firefighters that saved the City of Santee.

Chief Pfohl and I returned to the fire station at about 11:30 p.m. and met with his senior staff.  Chief Pfohl and the staff evaluated the current fire status and created a contingency plan to monitor the city for the remainder of the night.  The control and partial containment of the fires in Santee, gave the firefighters a chance to rest before heading back out to relieve other battle weary firefighters.

I left the fire station some time after midnight and drove past some of the homes and hillsides threatened just few hours before.  No one was on the streets and the homes were quiet.  I made one more run by the evacuation shelter at Santana High School and feeling confident the City of Santee was safe, I called it a night.

I will never forget the day that the Cedar Creek Fire threatened lives and homes in the City of Santee.  More importantly, I will never forget the valiant fight of the firefighters that saved our city.  On behalf of the Citizens of Santee, this Council Member thanks you.

Cities and fire districts represented:

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