SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — People living on Willow Grove Avenue in Santee had some anxious moments after a small fire erupted along the riverbed behind their homes.
Neighbors say it's not the first time. They've long had concerns about homeless encampments.
"We get them now and then, the homeless does live down there, do they start them? I can't really say, it's probably good odds," said resident Steve Bernal.
Firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire. They had a strike team pre-positioned in El Cajon so additional crews got here quickly.
"We got very fortunate on this one that the winds were pretty still, and once we got knocked down on the fire, they started to pick up," said Santee Fire Department Battalion Chief Dusty Garhartt.
As the wind picked up Tuesday, SDGE cut the power to nearly 6,000 people, with roughly 55,000 getting a notice that they could lose power.
Nita Zentz has a backup battery system at her home in Alpine but says many of her neighbors are without power.
"We better be prepared when there's winds 50, 60, 100 mph," Zentz said. "I don't know how they are going to control it."
Controlling fires that start in homeless camps is an ongoing concern.
The sheriff's department says its outreach teams have been visiting known encampments warning people not to start fires during this red flag warning.
Instead, they've delivered donated clothing to help people keep warm.
"Homeless does go there long enough; they get kicked out, and then they come back when everything sounds quiet," Bernal said.
