Crime & Safety West Fire: 400 Acres Burned, Homes Destroyed In Alpine An Alpine firefighter was injured in the blaze and suffered burns to his face, officials said. Reply ALPINE, CA – A rapidly-spreading wildfire sparked Friday in Alpine, scorching hundreds of acres, destroying homes, forcing evacuations and prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a local state of emergency. The blaze, called the West Fire, broke out around 11:30 a.m. alongside eastbound Interstate 8 at West Willows Road, near Viejas Casino & Resort, according to officials. Within about 30 minutes, the flames had burned roughly 15 acres. By 4 p.m., the fire had scorched 400 acres and was 5 percent contained. An hour later, crews had halted the spread of the flames. Crews from Cal Fire, Cleveland National Forest, Alpine Fire Protection District and other agencies attacked the blaze on the ground and aboard firefighting aircraft. San Diego Gas & Electric's Aircrane also assisted the firefighting efforts. An Alpine firefighter was injured in the blaze and suffered burns to the side of his face, officials said. He was expected to be hospitalized overnight and released Saturday morning. No other injuries were reported. Several homes were destroyed in the fire, according to officials. Authorities urged residents behind the Albertsons on 2955 Alpine Blvd. to immediately evacuate the area, including residents of Alpine Oaks Estates. As of Friday evening, Cal Fire issued evacuation orders for residents on Tavern Road at Alpine Boulevard, east to Viejas Creek Trail, south to Japatul Road, west to Tavern Road and all secondary roads within these boundaries. An evacuation warning was issued for residents on Alpine Heights Road and all secondary roads Alpine Heights Road. At the height of the blaze, about 3,500 homes and businesses in the area of the wildfire were without power, according to San Diego Gas & Electric.<doc-sep>ALPINE (KGTV) - The evacuation orders were lifted Sunday for Alpine residents after the West Fire ripped through their neighborhood. The community leaped into action, creating a donation drive ahead of more services offered by multiple agencies at the Alpine Library Monday. Albert and Sarah Altamirano lost everything in the West Fire. They moved in two months ago and were planning on raising their toddler here. "He just told me like hey it's gone and we just that was it," Sarah said sadly. "It's hitting us more today than when it actually happened. We've been, luckily, surrounded by all her family and friends and people that we don't even know that take the time and the effort to help us out," her husband Albert said, referring to his sister and her neighbors who put together a donation drive to help people like them. Mandy Loughlin created the drive and put out the call on Facebook. The donations came rolling in. Trash bags, shovels, food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, all divided into labeled moving boxes in her front driveway. She and her family were evacuated when the fire came through, and after escaping the danger, they heard many were not as fortunate. Stories like the Altamiranos shared with each 'Thank you' while they shopped for necessities. "I just saw you know what we work so hard for day after day to school you know there's nothing there," Albert said. "After a long day like that all you want is your bed, your house, like go home kick your shoes off but...." Sarah couldn't finish the sentence, looking at her husband. As they gathered supplies she told Mandy, "Thank you so much, thank you god bless you thank you so much." "I keep saying thank you but I don't feel like it's enough, because people who don't even know you help out so much and that's when you know there are good people out there still." Instead, they focus on what they do have, their happy, healthy little boy who squeals and smiles as he runs toward them. The Altamiranos will join a lot of families and residents affected by the fire, at the Alpine Library. It will be turned into a Local Assistance Center, where agencies like the Salvation Army, Red Cross, and FEMA will provide help for them to get back on their feet. Feeding San Diego will also be sending an emergency shipment of fresh produce and other groceries to help families impacted by the West Fire. Residents affected by the fire can pick up food at the First Baptist Church of Alpine Tuesday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Resources for Alpine residents: San Diego County Emergency The Hotline number is (858) 495-5200. SD County Recovery: Recovery Overviews and General Resources Rebuilding and Permit Processing in the Unincorporated County Debris Assistance Public Health and Hazardous Waste Consumer Information<doc-sep>
ALPINE, Calif., (KGTV) — It has been more than 24 hours since the West Fire in Alpine broke out. Some evacuated residents are being let back into their homes, once they are deemed safe by the fire department and electric companies. 10News met Alpine resident, Linda Lafrance as she was walking onto her driveway. She was working in Point Loma yesterday when she got a call from her friend, saying that her home was inches away from the fire. “I looked online, and saw there were evacuations behind Albertsons, so I said, uh-oh, that’s not good,” Lafrance said. Her home was in the evacuation zone. So after work, she said she spent the night at her mother’s home in El Cajon. All she could do was pray that it was still standing. Today, we went through the broken side fence and walked onto her backyard. This was the first time she had been to her home since the fire started. “Oh my…” she said. She was taken aback by the view, or lack thereof. “It used to have lots of vegetation there. It used to be all full,” she said while pointing at the hillside behind her home. What is left now, is a dark and barren dirt-scape. There are no homes below. Just slabs of foundation and a horse stable that miraculously survived the blaze. LaFrance is one of the lucky ones. Her home is still standing. The fence that separates her and her neighbor is warped. But the b bulk of her property avoided significant damage. She believes it may be thanks to her gardener who cleared all the vegetation in the yard, just two weeks ago. Meanwhile, her next door will return to an entirely different story. Their home is one of 18 structures destroyed by the West Fire. The roof had collapsed. The cars are burned. There are no more rooms. The front porch is the only recognizable part of the home. There is a piece of mail, delivered on their chair. “I’m thinking somebody’s looking out for us. Because I can see it was really really close. We are very fortunate,” Lafrance said.