Fire crews are working around the
clock and in severe heat right
now while they battle the border
32 fire burning near Dulzura.
Good evening. Thanks for joining us.
I'm Marcella Lee.
And I'm Jesse pecan.
The fire is burning northwest of
Takata and has shut down roads nearby.
US Customs and Border Protection
says they've shut down the Takata
port of entry too. The flames have burned
more than 4400 acres at this point.
Three people have been injured.
2 are said to be in
critical condition tonight.
The flames have destroyed
10 structures so far,
including three homes.
This fire has forced hundreds
of people to evacuate.
Tonight our Kirsten Holmes
is live with the story of 1
family that evacuated a mobile
Home Park as flames roared
closer to their community.
But first we go to Kerry Lane and for
chief meteorologist Carlene Chavez tonight
for a look at those weather conditions
crews are facing right now. Carrie.
Yeah. So we have the winds that are picking
up in the afternoon hours into the night.
And that pattern is going to
continue through the weekend.
Our highs today, it was pretty warm out
there mixed with that dry brush, obviously
recipe for disaster along the coast.
We were in the mid 80s.
Inland valleys topping out in the triple
digits like Escondido Valley Center,
Ramona, Miramar at 94 today, El Cajon 9795,
and Julian and 107 in Borrego Springs.
Over the next couple of days.
We're going to see temperatures
slightly cool along the coast
tomorrow due to a coastal Eddy,
but then temperatures are gonna
ramp right back up on Saturday.
We're gonna see more moisture in
our forecast on Saturday as well,
which could increase our chance of
thunderstorm activity out in the mountains.
Why is that a concern?
Dry lightning.
If that hits any of the brush,
that could easily start another fire.
And again,
the winds really kicking up in the
afternoon hours starting on Saturday,
but still breezy conditions between now
and then in those late evening hours.
And you can see the Inland Valley is gonna
top out in the triple digits on Saturday.
As far as these conditions I'll
have coming up just how hot
it's going to be over Labor Day.
We'll talk about the humidity levels,
how much moisture is coming back in,
but in the meantime,
it is not just the firefighters
who have to deal with this heat.
People who live in the evacuation
zone are also impacted.
CBS's Kirsten Holmes talked to
a family who was in the middle
of packing up when they had told
that they had to evacuate.
Kirsten,
tell us more.
Hey, we are here and at the command
Center for firefighters and other first
responders that serves as a base camp.
This is where they come to take a break
from that heat that Carrie just described.
Earlier today we met a family who was
packing up their car with everything
that they could because their home,
their entire community had
barely escaped those flames.
When we saw the fire, I was like,
mom, let's go, come on.
We basically got just the basics,
the basics, just to get out of here.
And then and then it was within.
20 minutes. I got the alert
and then we were just like,
we just packed whatever we could.
Syeda and her family are packing up
so they can hurry up and get out of
the Barrett mobile home and RV park
after this video was taken yesterday,
right after the border 32 fire broke out.
How long are you expected to be gone?
Probably. They said until
electricity comes back.
But I don't think it's
going to be anytime soon.
Are you prepared to be gone
for like more than a week?
No. So we're probably going
to have to come back and
knowing that you're this close
to the fire. You guys gonna
come back and move back
in, or what are you thinking
long term? I guess so, yeah,
we're just gonna have to come
back. If you take a look over my shoulder,
you can see smoke billowing in the air.
And right behind me you can
see what's left of two trucks.
Now, those two trucks were
completely destroyed,
but this mobile Home Park
that's not too far down the road
was left remotely untouched,
even though the fire came that close.
It's just our close.
My husband, he's up with
diabetic, so his insulin
Syeda says this isn't their
first run in with wildfire.
2007 it got burned the whole trailer park
and it was just this, just this part that
didn't burn down while emergency
crews remind everyone to do
their part to keep themselves
and crews working the fire safe.
Please do not put our law enforcement
and firefighters in the situation
of not being able to appropriately
respond to a fire because they are
having to do emergency evacuations
in an area where they have asked
you and ordered you to leave.
The family you just heard from
says that they are staying at a
hotel tonight until they can figure
out what they're gonna do next.
Their closest evacuation site is
the Mountain Empire High School.
It is acting as a shelter.
That is their nearest shelter.
And we got to let you know
that pets are welcome.
If there are larger pets or
animals that need shelter,
you can take those to the San Diego S
animal shelter on Sweetwater Rd in Bonita,
reporting live for CBS8.
I'm Kirsten Holmes.
Back to you.