On what is usually considered the most frightening day of the year, residents in College Area and Talmadge experienced their worst fears when a wildfire ignited in a nearby palm grove on Halloween. The brush fire  extended along the south side of Montezuma Road, between Fairmount Avenue and Collwood Blvd. Winds eventually carried flying embers across the road to the opposite hillside, threatening homes in Alvarado Estates. 

Now, a week later, the cause is still being investigated.

The first 911 call was made at about 1:35 p.m. Two fire engines were initially dispatched and arrived within minutes to find an explosive situation as palm trees were catching fire, one after the other. A few hundred palms stretched the length of the canyon. Shrouded in dry thatch and dead fronds, they added extraordinary fuel to the fire! 

The first crews on scene set the stage for a rapid response to combat a blaze they thought had the potential to be a catastrophic urban wildfire event. Water strikes and more ground units were quickly ordered. As fire burned through the palms, it then raced up hill with a critical rate of speed. 

Additional crews attacked the flames from the backyards of Talmadge homes high above on the canyon rim. Winds exacerbated the situation and flying embers blew to the other side of the street, catching a portion of the adjacent hillside on fire. While ground crews worked both sides of Montezuma Road, air support continued by 8 helicopters and air tankers to make water drops and according to San Diego-Fire Rescue officials, drop fire retardant for the first time in nearly 10 years. It was an airshow of critical precision to defend homes.

To help maintain access and safety, buses were detoured and roads were closed. Mandatory evacuation notices began on notification alerts, the Fire Department’s social media, and as postings on Nextdoor and other platforms. Threatened homes in Talmadge along Lucille Drive, Lila Drive and 49th Street were the first to be evacuated. As the fire raged, evacuation orders continued along Lila Drive, and were extended to Collwood Way, throughout Alvarado Estates and into Kensington. Nearby Hardy Elementary School was also evacuated and students were taken to the SDSU Viejas Arena for pickup. 

San Diego Police Department officers went door-to-door to make sure residents in all evacuation zones were informed. They were also on hand to assist residents in need. 

A temporary evacuation site was established at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center where The Red Cross helped about 50 people. Some arrived with young children who came directly from Hardy Elementary school in their Halloween costumes. The San Diego Humane Society was also on hand to support the care of 15 pets.

Over the course of five hours, approximately 300 fire fighters worked tirelessly to put out the fast-moving Montezuma Fire. 

According to Anthony Tosca, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief and the Fire Marshal, “The initial responding personnel were from the local Fire Stations 17, 18, 26, and 31 and brush apparatus from Stations 16 and 35. There were a lot of other responding units as well, because this went to a 3rd alarm assignment. Some responding units included San Diego Police, helicopters and water tenders from the City and surrounding County agencies.” Lakeside, Santee, Miramar, Vista, Oceanside, San Miguel and CAL FIRE were some of them.

Fire illuminates need for proactive brush and encampment management  

In the end, nearly 40 acres burned. No one was injured. Five homes in Talmadge had minor damage to landscape, fences and decks. One home in Alvarado Estates sustained severe damage, but the fire was stopped there, sparing neighbors’ homes. A Public Safety Power Shutoff by SDG&E was restored by 8 p.m. Evacuation orders were officially lifted and repopulation was underway at 9 p.m.  Most road closures were in effect until Sunday morning. Crews remained diligent through the night and for several days into November, continuing mop-up and checking the area for hot spots.

It’s the loss and rebuilding that a longtime Alvarado Estates homeowner and family now face and the toll it took on all who feared for their lives and their homes, that has many community members talking. They believe this wildland fire could have been more easily controlled and maybe even prevented, if the property had been responsibly maintained. They say the palm debris, overgrown brush and active homeless encampments created an egregious risk which had been communicated to officials, for years. 

Paul Krueger, who has lived in Talmadge for 40 years, is one of many locals who say they reported this significant fire risk to the City. “Mayor Gloria and our 9th District Councilman, Sean Elo-Rivera, have told us all to use the Get It Done app to alert the City about public safety issues,” he said, adding, “We did just that, but the property owner was seemingly never compelled to maintain it and the City didn’t have the preventive forethought to do it either, even in an election year. It seems similar to the City’s long-neglected storm drains.”

While this perspective is shared by many, community members are also thinking through and discussing other aspects of their evacuation experience and are renewing their commitment to wildfire preparedness. Fire Safe Councils in Alvarado Estates and Kensington are already established to help residents proactively prepare their homes, their families and their neighborhood for wildfire. They are participating groups with the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County. You can learn more at firesafesdcounty.org.

Residents on both sides of Montezuma Road know this wildfire could have been much more devastating. 

Those impacted are sure to be grateful for the well-coordinated and well-executed response by fire crews. Mònica Muñoz, Media Services Manager for SDF-R, has captured the reason for such gratitude in this statement, “San Diego Fire-Rescue is proud of the firefighters who fought this fire and prevented any injury or loss of life. In addition, to have just five structures that sustained minimal damage and only one home lost is a testament to the heroic efforts of the crews on the ground and in the air. We are also very appreciative of the County agencies that answered our call for assistance and responded so quickly.”

Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Updates about determination of cause, issues related to evacuation and other important findings will be shared when available. Additional reporting will cover key preparedness concepts and resources.

Karen Austin is co-founder and co-leader of the Alvarado Estates Fire Safe Council. The AEFSC is a member of the FSC of San Diego County. Some start-up grant funds have been provided by the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation. 

TOP CAPTION: Taken by a passing motorist and posted on Nextdoor, this photo shows the beginnings of the Montezuma Fire where it is believed to have started in or very near a homeless encampment and then fueled by an excessive amount of dry brush and littered palm fronds. (Foto de cortesía)