HARMONY GROVE (KGTV) — Even the slightest wind is enough to remind Laura Mitchell of the Cocos Fire in 2014.
"The onshore wind came in from the ocean and created this fire blizzard," Mitchell said.
The fire moved so fast overnight, that it burned Laura's home and dozens of others in unincorporated Escondido. She says she barely had time to evacuate.
"It took up my whole life," Mitchell said.
The fires now raging through Los Angeles, reigniting fear in her Harmony Grove neighborhood. According to Cal Fire, they live in a very high fire hazard severity zone. The residents are worried a proposed housing development could make matters worse.
"How will we get out when it was hard before? And now with how many thousands of people living up there?"
The development is called Harmony Grove Village South. It would add around 450 housing units to Laura's neighborhood, meaning hundreds more cars on a narrow evacuation route.
"It's totally dangerous, there's no way out. There's one exit for the area."
I drove along the main road people could take to get out of the area. The developer plans to add one lane to this section of the route. I asked the county if it planned to do anything more, a representative told me "It was determined the site could be safely evacuated." But neighbors who have survived several fires - are not convinced.
"You could get trapped really easily in this situation."
But it gets so narrow and bumpy that I couldn't even drive through it. The project is going to the planning commission in a couple months and then will go to the Board of Supervisors. The neighborhood is hopeful the winds will change before then.
