The San Diego Fire Department is releasing the tapes of 9-1-1 calls from last week's disaster. KPBS reporter Andrew Phelps got a hold of some of them and he joins us now. Good morning, Andrew.
Good morning. The San Diego Fire Department says it received more than 2,100 fire-related 9-1-1 calls up through Tuesday. That's just within the City of San Diego. And that's almost triple the number of 9-1-1 calls in a normal week. We hear very frightened people on these calls, including this woman inside her home. (Click the "listen" icon to hear audio for this report)
The caller says she's engulfed in flames. Her property is on fire. And she's inside the house.
She says she lives on Highland Valley Road. That's near Poway. And if you listen carefully, you can hear what sounds like wind howling in the background.
The caller goes on to say she's a senior citizen, and embers are leaping into the house.
I called the Fire Department's spokesman, Maurice Luque, and he told me a bit more about this woman we heard on tape. Interestingly, he says firefighters were not able to find the house at the address she gave. A quick check on Google Maps reveals that 1533 Highland Valley Road does not actually exist. Luque says firefighters were eventually able to find the woman. She and the house were unscathed.
Luque says the call raises questions. He says the woman is something of a recluse who deliberately lives on her own. He says firefighters could not find a posted address on the property when they did find her. Luque told me the call could have been a hoax. Or the woman may have been in legitimate danger and gave the wrong address in a state of panic.
