Wildfires continue to burn out of control in rural parts of San Diego County. The Harris fire in the southeast part of the county has officials worried about injuries. Firefighters are facing erratic winds while attempting to gain control of the Harris fire.
The winds were blowing the fire east, then shifted to the west today. Cal Fire's Roxanne Provaznik says sudden wind reversals in the that area have caused firefighter deaths in the past. The five-day-old fire has scorched about 81,000 acres and is about 10 percent contained.
Regional fire coordinator Kevin Crawford says firefighters are using everything they've got to attack the fire - more than 60 helicopters and air tankers.
Crawford: We have begged, borrowed, and maybe by some estimations even stole aircraft from other parts of the state to fight this fire.
County officials say the Harris Fire has destroyed at least 200 homes and damaged about 250 others, as well as two commercial buildings and 17outbuildings since it started last Sunday morning. The fire is not expected to be fully contained until next week.
Fire crews are focusing their protection efforts in the Lyons Valley area.
Fire crews are still battling blazes in the north and central parts of the county. Emergency Services Chief Ron Lane says people in the city of San Diego and other parts of the county are now being allowed to return home. But officials aren't rushing the process.
Lane: There's a tremendous amount of danger out there in these smoldering homes. We have thousands of firefighters still fighting active fire. So we're being as cautious as we can.
