A single spark, started as a hail mary by a lost hunter in California's Cleveland National Forest on Oct, 25, 2003, mutated into one of the state's largest…
The Cedar Fire, the Paradise Fire and the Otay Fire devastated San Diego in October 2003, tearing through 13% of the county and leaving the rest of the region in a dark haze of ash and smokeNBC 7 Steven Luke spoke with fire chiefs who remember the firefight against what was then the biggest wildfire in California history. And, NBC 7's Audra Stafford goes back to the community hardest hit.
When all was said and done, 13% of San Diego County was devastated by the 2003 wildfires. 17 people were killed. 3,241 buildings and homes were destroyed. And, $43 million worth of damage was done. The toll the fires took on communities was everlasting. The fire grew fast, at an estimated rate of 15 miles per hour and reached the east county community of Lakeside within 9 hours. Then, Poway. Then, San Diego's Scripps Ranch neighborhood where in unhurled massive destruction. Within 24 hours, it jumped Interstate 15 -- where a sea of cars attempting to flee the area were halted by flames -- and spread into Tierrasanta.
Once Santa Ana winds tamed days later, the Cedar Fire reversed its direction, moving into Julian and destroying structures in Cuyamaca. Eventually, in the evening of Oct. 31, firefighters gained an upper-hand on the Cedar Fire halting the spread of a fire that had already killed 14 people and a firefighter and destroyed thousands of properites.
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