SAN DIEGO, CA (October 22, 2007) – Alpine Camp and Conference Center was evacuated this morning as wildfires continued to spread across Southern California, destroying homes within miles of the facility.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Canyon Springs Covenant Church members in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego also were ordered to leave their homes.<\/p>\n
Other Covenanters in the San Diego area were waiting to decide on whether or not to evacuate, including Mt. Miguel Covenant Village, where officials were making preparations to evacuate the retirement community if necessary.<\/p>\n
More than a dozen wildfires have been raging throughout Southern California and pushed nearly 270,000 people from their homes, according to news reports. Dry conditions are fueling the fires which are being pushed by strong winds that are expected to continue.<\/p>\n
The San Bernadino County Sheriff\u2019s Department ordered the evacuation of Alpine around 10 a.m. Pacific Time, said Alan Forsman, a leadership and congregational coach with the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. As of six o\u2019clock this evening, fire had reached within two miles of the camp and had destroyed 123 homes in nearby areas.<\/p>\n
Forsman said all of the employees were evacuated safely. He was unsure how many people were in the camp at the time.<\/p>\n
Law-enforcement agencies ordered the 45,000 residents of Scripps Ranch to evacuate today as well. Craig Deane, associate pastor of Canyon Springs, said 80 percent of the 560 people who attend the church live in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been calling each other all day,\u201d Deane said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard because you can\u2019t go in (to the neighborhoods) and physically help people move\u201d because law enforcement agencies were not allowing anyone to enter those areas under evacuation orders.<\/p>\n
As of this evening, no structures had been destroyed, Deane said. The church meets in a Scripps Ranch school and was planning on moving at the end of November into a larger nearby school. \u201cAll that will be up in the air,\u201d depending on what happens, Deane added.<\/p>\n
This is the second time in four years that fire has threatened the Scripps Ranch homes. In 2003, several families who attend Canyon Springs lost their homes in the blazes.<\/p>\n
Chula Vista was under a voluntary evacuation order, but John Rose, pastor of Rancho Vista Covenant Church, which meets in the community, had decided not to leave yet. Ash from the fires several miles away covered his sidewalk, as well his front and back yards, he said.<\/p>\n
Most of his neighbors are waiting until a mandatory order is given, he said. Ten to 12 families from the church may be evacuated throughout the night, he added.<\/p>\n
Fire does not pose an immediate threat to Mt. Miguel Covenant Village Retirement Community, but officials are discussing options should the situation change, says Curtis Davis, associate administrator.<\/p>\n
Using a \u201creverse 911 system,\u201d authorities will give at least six hours notice to evacuate, Davis said. The system was put in place after civil authorities were criticized for not giving evacuation orders soon enough during the 2003 fires.<\/p>\n
If forced to evacuate, Mt. Miguel will use buses and vans to transport residents of the skilled nursing and assisted living facilities to another retirement center in the center of San Diego, Davis said. The other residents would be transported to Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers, where thousands already have sought refuge.<\/p>\n