FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) — One day after the Garden Fire burned near their homes in Fallbrook, friends Linda Cleveland and Margaret Kofron are reflecting on their shared experience.
“Came out to the middle of the street, right here in our cul-de-sac. I looked up and said ‘Oh my god. Not again, not again,” Kofron said.
This wasn't the first time the two had to evacuate because of a wildfire. Seven years ago, the Lilac Fire ripped through the bordering city of Bonsall, spreading fast with the Santa Ana winds. The fire destroyed 114 homes and damaged 55 others.
Cleveland and Kofron’s neighborhood was spared from the damage.
“That was terrifying," Kofron said. "Our entire neighborhood was filled with smoke, thick smoke. It appeared to be coming this way. When we evacuated, we didn’t know when we would be able to come back or if our houses would still be here.”
Thankfully, Friday’s Garden Fire was a different story.
Slower winds allowed crews to quickly control the flames, and no homes were touched. But people living nearby still had to evacuate.
I met Cleveland and her granddaughter at the evacuation center while they waited with their husky and two cats.
Cleveland says they were able to get constant updates online, which helped calm their nerves.
“Because we had communication, we could see where the fire was on the map and kept hearing updates. It wasn’t as scary as before because this time, we had more information on the fire itself,” Cleveland said.
Kofron says she felt differently. The Garden Fire sparked her same fears from seven years ago.
“I consider my home my sacred place," Kofron said. "So a lot of emotions of fear of losing that.”
The two are now able to unwind on Kofron’s front porch. Thanks to the firefighters who saved their homes a second time around.
