A firefighter as a house burns during the 2003 Cedar Fire.
In recognition of the 20-year anniversary of the devastating Cedar Fire in San Diego County, community organizers of the hard-hit Scripps Ranch community will Thursday host a presentation and discussion about what happened in October 2003 and what has been learned since.
Scheduled for 6:30 p.m. inside the Scripps Ranch Civic Association Community Center (11885 Cypress Canyon Road) the event will feature San Diego Police Department Captain Mike Holden and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Assistant Chief David Gerboth, as well as San Diego City Councilmembers Marni von Wilpert and Kent Lee.
The 2003 firestorm was made up of four concurrent wildfires which killed 17 people, burned hundreds of thousands of acres and thousands of structures in San Diego County.
The devastating two weeks of fires left an indelible mark on the county. Fanned by Santa Ana winds, the fires quickly grew out of control and burned a total of 13% of San Diego County's landmass.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The Cedar Fire: 20 Years Later
The largest of the fires -- the Cedar -- broke out near Ramona the evening of Oct. 25, probably sparked by a lost hunter's signal fire. It exploded into a conflagration the day after. The fire destroyed 2,820 buildings -- 2,232 of them homes.
Those who perished in the fires included Novato fire Engineer Steven Rucker, who died fighting the Cedar Fire near Julian.
A Novato fire captain suffered critical burns in the same incident, and two other firefighters from that Northern California department sustained minor injuries.
The Cedar Fire was, at the time, the second most destructive fire in California history. Since then, drought conditions and the 2020 fire season have pushed the fire down to the 10th most destructive. It is the seventh deadliest fire in state history.
Along with the Cedar, which burned 273,246 acres and killed 15, the Paradise Fire near Valley Center began the day after and burned 56,700 acres, 223 structures and killed two. The Otay/Mine Fire began Oct. 26 as well, burning 46,000 and 46,000 acres.
The Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council began as a group of concerned homeowners following the Cedar Fire with the initial mission to clear the ground fuel and create a firebreak for the neighborhood. Soon after it became a nonprofit and was awarded two U.S. Forest grants to assist in providing the neighborhood with a 100-foot firebreak.
In 2005 the council teamed with the Scripps Ranch Civic Association, extended its mission to include all of Scripps Ranch and formed an alliance with 12 federal, state and civic organizations to promote fire prevention in Scripps Ranch, according to a statement from the organization. Since then, the SRFSC has established firebreaks at over 650 homes and have cleared six recreational trails, removed 340 dangerous trees, and planted 165 new trees.
