VALLEY CENTER — The Valley Center Fire Protection District is seeking a Cal Fire forestry grant to support wildfire mitigation efforts, including a new emergency evacuation route along the Interstate 15 corridor just north of Escondido.
The project would include mechanical and manual hazardous fuel reduction across 2,000 acres and create an evacuation route connecting Mirar de Valle in Valley Center to a point closer to Interstate 15. It would also include watershed protection, erosion control, habitat enhancement, restoration and local workforce development.
The Escondido City Council unanimously agreed Sept. 30 to provide a letter supporting the district’s grant application, citing the project’s potential benefits for the city.
While the fire district serves Valley Center and other unincorporated areas of San Diego County, emergencies such as wildfire evacuations could affect traffic and public safety in nearby Escondido. Cal Fire has designated Valley Center a very high fire hazard severity zone.
Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald, who brought the letter to the council for consideration, said several emergencies in Valley Center had caused traffic gridlock in Escondido over the past six months.
With hundreds of new homes and other commercial projects planned in Valley Center, Fitzgerald said conditions could worsen without additional safety measures.
“If it creates gridlock in our city whether or not we’re facing an emergency… it puts us at risk,” she said.
Escondido resident Gregg Oliver, who also serves on the Escondido Fire Safe Council, supported the council’s decision to provide the letter.
“Wildfires don’t stop at city borders,” he said. “When neighboring districts clear brush across thousands of acres and construct emergency evacuation connections toward Interstate 15, all of San Diego County can feel safer.”
A significant wildfire along the Interstate 15 corridor, a critical north-south transportation route in North County, would also affect the broader region.
The San Diego County I-15 Design Review Board has also “expressed strong support” for the project, according to a staff report.
