Poway's Cedar fire victims honored

By: ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:17 AM PDT ∞

POWAY ---- The City Council on Tuesday publicly honored residents whose homes were destroyed in the 2003 Cedar fire, calling them forward Tuesday to receive commemorative plaques during a council meeting.

Mayor Mickey Cafagna personally presented the plaques to their recipients. Standing by a table piled high with the bronze-colored, 6-by-6-inch squares, the mayor used a portable microphone to read from a list of owners of the 54 Poway homes that burned to the ground during the blaze.

As families, couples and individuals stepped up to receive their plaques, the mayor shook the recipients' hands, commended the fire victims' resilience and told them the hearts of many were with them.

"You will be rebuilding for many years," Cafagna said. "We want those of you who lost their homes to know that we are thinking of you."

The entire group then posed for a photo in front of the council's dais.

The short ceremony was the latest step in a recovery process that has been going on for nearly 18 months and counting. This city was among many that were hit hard by three wildfires that broke out within hours or days of each other in late October 2003.

The blazes raged across the county for weeks, burning 376,237 acres before they were put out. Between them, the fires killed 16 people and destroyed more than 3,000 buildings.

The Cedar fire was the largest wildfire in California's history. The fire gobbled up more than 2,200 homes in Poway, Scripps Ranch, Ramona and parts of eastern San Diego County by itself. The blaze swept across Poway's southeastern corner Oct. 26, reducing homes in the city's Sycamore Canyon, Garden Road, Poway Grade and High Valley areas to piles of smoking ash and rubble.

The enormity of the disaster shocked local residents. They rallied quickly, though, to offer fire victims an outpouring of money, donated goods and other assistance.

The relief effort, which was unlike any previously seen in the city, has been credited with helping speed up Poway's fire recovery rate compared to other wildfire-affected communities.

Meanwhile, city officials did what they could to help local Cedar fire victims hook up with state, federal and nonprofit agencies that could help them. The city also created a fast-track system to speed up and smooth the permitting process for those whose houses needed to be rebuilt.

The system has produced 11 new homes so far. Many more are currently under construction or going through the design and approval process.

The commemorative plaques, which resemble those used to designate historical structures, indicate that the homes in question rose out of the Cedar fire's ashes. The small squares also include a quote about an end spawning new beginnings.

Councilwoman Merrilee Boyack helped spearhead the community effort to help fire victims. She said she was pleased to now be in a position to honor them.

"They became like my family," she said. "And it is so wonderful to see them getting back into their homes."

In other business, the council watched a slide presentation on drug arrest trends in San Diego County. The report was given by Cynthia Burke, director of the San Diego Association of Governments' criminal justice division, who said the regional agency is trying to secure funding to continue a program that monitors the trends and compiles the information included in the presentation.

She urged the city to do what it could to help lobby for money for the program.

Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.