RANCHO BERNARDO (KGTV) — "We do get nervous every time the Santa Ana winds blow this way. Well they are always going to blow this way," said Hector Lopez.
Lopez says the strong winds blew the Witch fire to his house, which burned to the ground. That was back in 2007.
"It was devastating. I do not wish that on anyone. I am hoping we don’t have to go through that again. This time around, we are not going to wait for the fire to get here. If we see any sign of smoke or fire, we are leaving," he said.
Lopez says during the Witch fire, he didn’t evacuate until flames surrounded his house. Also his power was still on.
As the winds picked up Tuesday, he says SDG&E sent him a message the power would be shut off in a few hours.
"I believe that is a good preventive measure. It is not fun to be home without power. But the alternative is far worse. The stuff we had, we replaced. We could not replace a family member or neighbor. That is what is important," he said.
