San Diegans were figuring out how they would rebuild Friday as some evacuees began returning to the devastation left behind by a large wildfire in their North County neighborhoods.
An uncontrollable wildfire, dubbed the Lilac Fire, destroyed 85 structures and damaged several more since it erupted in the Bonsall area west of Interstate 15 and around State Route 76 Thursday morning.
Friday evening, Cal Fire was allowing some residents to return to their homes. For a list of locations, click here.
Lars Eisenhower just moved to the Bonsall area three months ago. He and his family evacuated Thursday and watched the news from his sister’s Carlsbad home.
“We thought we were done,” Eisenhower said.
He returned to his property Friday morning.
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“The gate is burned, the house is standing, so I am happy,” he told NBC 7.
Some of his neighbors weren’t as lucky. But even in his short amount of time with the neighborhood, Eisenhower knows his community will be able to rebuild.
“This community is resilient; everybody is really strong,” he said. “It’s just a loving community so people are going to come together and we are going to rebuild.”
Firefighters used attacks via air and on the ground to try to get a handle on the blaze that had scorched 4,100 acres. Crews had no containment on the fire Friday afternoon.
But residents were thankful that they were able to save at least some of their properties.
Terry Johnson stayed behind during the fire, hoping to protect her home. She says she witnessed several fire trucks and firefighters defending individual homes, including her house.
"They're great, they're absolutely great. They're amazing people," Johnson said as she wiped away tears.
Her home was spared but she thought of neighbors who would not have a home to go back to.
"It was awful, I don’t know what else to say. My worst nightmare," she added.
Florence "Flo" Denton, of Tennessee, was staying at a rental property in the Rancho Monserate Country Club mobile park Thursday waiting for her family when the Lilac Fire erupted.
Quickly, she gathered a some of her belongings, including notebooks, phones, chargers and medication, and took off.
On the way out, she and her husband "watched the smoke go through the valley."
Denton wasn’t allowed back into the home overnight. When she returned Friday morning, she was happy to see it still standing, for the sake of the homeowners.
The mobile home park was one of the communities hardest hit by the Lilac Fire. Denton, who lived in Fallbrook for many years, including through the 2007 wildfires said devastation like this is hard to put into words.
"I can’t empathize, but I can certainly sympathize, having seen previous fires like the 2007 fire,” Denton said. “This happens in Southern California, more often than we’d like it to.”
Denton said many of the people who lived in the retirement community likely planned to stay there the rest of their lives. She’s sure they will rebuild.
On Friday, San Diego County Supervisor Diane Jacob said all resources would be made available to residents affected by the Lilac Fire.
The county is scheduled to open an assistance center Monday at the Vista Branch Library on Eucalyptus Ave to help the recovery and rebuilding process.
For people affected by the Lilac Fire who need immediate recovery assistance, visit sdcountyrecovery.com or email countyfirerecovery@sdcounty.ca.gov.
