It was 20 years ago as of Wednesday, October 25, that one of the worst wildfires in California history broke out in the eastern part of San Diego County.
The Cedar Fire ended up killing 15 people, including one fire fighter, and burned nearly 300,000 acres of land.
It started in the early evening east of Ramona when a hunter became lost and started a small fire to signal rescuers where he was.
But around midnight, the Santa Ana winds hit and fire grew into a monster burning 29 miles in just 10 hours. At one point, according to one report, it moved an astonishing average of 2 acres every second.
The next morning it roared into Scripps Ranch. It jumped Interstate 15. It swept across Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The Chargers-Broncos “Monday Night Football” game had been scheduled to be played at Qualcomm Stadium two days after the fire started. But the parking lot had become an evacuation site, and smoke choked the r Chargers-Broncos “Monday Night Football” game had been scheduled to be played at Qualcomm Stadium two days after the fire started. But the parking lot had become an evacuation site, and smoke choked the region. The NFL moved the game to Arizona.
The Cedar Fire burned 273,246 acres. By the time the fire was fully contained on November 4, it had destroyed 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and killed 15 people, including one firefighter.
The fire remains one of the largest wildfires in California history and, as of January 2022, the ninth-largest wildfire in the state's modern history. Cal Fire says it was the sixth-deadliest and fourth-most destructive wildfire in state history, causing just over $1.3 billion in damages.
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(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images