SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — An Escondido family is back home after being stuck in Lake Arrowhead for 12 days due to the winter storms late last month.
The Bayro family had rented an Airbnb, but they were trapped with roads closed and more snow piling on.
"I've never seen that much snow, I think all the times I've been in the snow, put together, I don't think added to the amount of snow that was there it was incredible," said Karin Bayro, a mother of three.
It was fun at first, but the situation became scarier as the days passed. Anthony and Karin are both local teachers, and they were forced to miss work. Their kids had their schoolwork sent to them by their teachers, but their parents worried about supplies running out.
"As time went on, of course, our food was a little limited and so we were living off of waffle mix, graham crackers, and s'mores," said Bayro.
The family spent a lot of their time digging up snow to avoid getting stuck inside the home. They also spent time helping out neighbors who had no way of getting around. At one point, the family says they worried about gas explosions because the snow was covering the gas meters in several homes.
While the Bayros are back home, 56 Cal Fire firefighters from San Diego are still in the mountains. The crews are working to evacuate people, dig out gas lines and get supplies to those that are running out.
"Food and water, supplies like that are critical, baby formula diapers, medicine," said Cal Fire Capt. Brent Pascua.
The Bayro family says they realize they got lucky, never losing power, heat, or running out of food. They say their Airbnb host let them stay the extra nights for free and they are still in touch with others who are trapped in the mountain community.
