We stayed in Del Mar for 4 nights. All in all it
was a good experience. Within 12 hours of our arrival a feed store was
set up with stall deliveries. Not only did local restaurants deliver
meals, but pet stores donated cat and dog food and supplies. Soap, tooth
brushes and all kinds of personal care items were also donated. Even Home
Depot donated hundreds of their orange buckets for watering and feeding the
horses. The barn isles became little communities ensuring whatever was
needed was covered. Feed, water and exercise schedules were posted on
each door with owner and animal information. Several horses took great
pride in removing and or rendering these useless with slobber, feed or bedding.
By day 3 organized teams of volunteers made rounds; watering, feeding,
cleaning and walking.
Us humans found refuge in the “Elfin
RV” with the AC and AM radio. We had the radio on non stop almost
the entire time keeping us updated on the fires that still raged. By some
lucky happenstance of events, ElfinForest was spared this
time. The Coronado Hills fire was put out in mere hours due to the sharp work
of our unit from ElfinForest and San Marcos
Fire. On Tuesday and Wednesday Del
Dios to the south east and Rancho Santa Fe to the southwest took the brunt of
it. Our fire department was stretched thin having sent units to both Del
Dios and Rancho. As the eastern flank of the fire ran up the Del Dios
ridge with the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve as its next meal, the northern
ridges of Rancho Cielo were set with back fires to stop the fires advance into
southwestern ElfinForest and PaintMountain. By grace and
these back fires the south western flank of the fire was stopped in the creek
bed below the Bridges at the western base of PaintMountain.
To the east the fire continued to burn,
marching closer to our valley and the eastern slope of PaintMountain.
To get to us the fire had to burn through the top of the Elfin Forest
Recreational Reserve and the new Olivenhain reservoir before it could reach PaintMountain
to the west and the ElfinForestValley.
Elfin Forest Fire had hand crews on the top of the ridge on the west side of
the Olivenhain reservoir, waiting to fight the monster. As the flames
crested the ridge it swallowed the new LakeHodges
overlook picnic area and continued on. Unknown to most, ElfinForest
had a secret weapon, a local who was a San Diego Fire Helicopter pilot.
The secret weapon was in Del Dios making water drops and keeping and eye on the
fires northwest flank. As the fire took the overlook he went into
action. Somehow, he herded the fire into the reservoir, starving it of
fuel. With only one spot fire on the western side of the water, the fires
advance was stopped and ElfinForest was saved!
Today our valley and most of the Reserve is ride able. We have a few
downed trees here and there, but we escaped, this time.
