On August 23, Escondido Fire’s four-person crew on OES Brush Engine 8632, along with the all of the crews on the strike team, were rotated back home after a 2-week assignment. OES Brush Engine 8632, with a fresh crew, has now been deployed for over two months with four crew rotations and is currently still assigned to the 771,000-acre Dixie Fire.
On August 24, the Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center received a report of a house fire in the area of the 800 block of Inspiration Lane and dispatched a structure fire response. The first arriving engine reported a single story, single family residence with light smoke coming from the front door. The home sustained minor fire damage to the kitchen area. Although the home did not have working smoke alarms, the residents woke up to the smell of smoke and fortunately there were no injuries.
Approximately 11 minutes later at 3:06 a.m., dispatchers received a report of a structure fire in the area of the 1100 block of Kern Place (which is right around the corner from Station 7) and dispatched a structure fire response. The Incident Commander of the fire on Inspiration Lane quickly released all but two fire engines to respond to the new fire across town. The Engine Company from Station 7 arrived on scene within minutes and reported a single story, single family home with a large amount of fire in the garage that was spreading to vehicles in the driveway. Fortunately, this home did have working smoke alarms that allowed the entire family, including their dog, to escape to safety.
The home sustained extensive fire damage throughout the dwelling. The causes of both fires are under investigation.
Note: Any homeowner in Escondido who needs new smoke alarms may be able to have them provided and installed at no cost! Contact Escondido Fire at 760 836-5400 for more information.
On August 25, Escondido Fire and Police responded to a vehicle accident at an apartment complex on North Fig Street where a car had crashed into the building. Although there were no injuries, the vehicle narrowly missed a large gas meter for the apartment complex. The City building department responded to the scene to ensure the integrity of the structure.
During the 24-hour shift on August 27, Escondido Fire responded to 70 emergency calls for service, which is nearly double the normal average number of responses.
