Off the I-15

It seems like everywhere I’ve gone since Sunday there’s been some trace of fire.

Sports Editor Matthew Peters and I were on our way to Hollywood to see a Ken Andrews concert on Sunday, and as they say, “where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

Along the Cajon Pass, the hills were charred, and fire crews cleared brush. As we got into Ontario, the wind was blowing more than 50 mph pushing smoke and debris across the freeway and splitting a big rig’s trailer in half. Near the Ontario Mills Mall plants that were less than five feet from the freeway were on fire apparently due to embers blown from other fires. Luckily we made the concert only missing a couple songs from an opening band.

On our way back we saw another trailer split in half and a few big rigs on their sides, but no flames this time. I got home at 2 a.m. and I went to sleep hoping to be done with fires.

On Monday I had a doctors appointment in Victorville. I got ready and headed down the I-15 once again. Near the Hodge Road exit I began to see smoke rising off the mountains to my left. I hadn’t watched the news yet, but apparently Lake Arrowhead, Malibu, San Diego, Santa Clarita and the Cajon Pass were all on fire. I went to the doctor, did some shopping and headed home. My doctor lived down the hill and she was forced to get a hotel when the pass was closed.

I got back to Barstow in time for my mom to call me and tell me that my brother, Robert Heldreth, was close to being evacuated from his house in Mira Mesa, a suburb of San Diego. He eventually left during the voluntary evacuation. However, he returned to his house to sleep in the middle of the night. He said he wasn’t too worried about his safety.

“I’ve got all my stuff in my car,” Heldreth said. “If it gets close to my house I’ll go to my school, and if it gets there I’ll just park my car on the beach.”

It’s now the third day, and the fires are still going. You can see the smoke from the Lake Arrowhead fire from different vantage points around Barstow. I hope the winds stop, and Southern California gets some rain so everyone can return home and so I can stop worrying about my brother and stop looking at smoke.

- David Heldreth Staff Writer