“Thank you for saving my dog,” yelled Mary Magill of Escondido as she greeted Escondido Fire Chief Mike Lowry at a special recognition event Friday evening in Escondido.
While holding her dog, Jesse, she added, “You did a great job. We appreciate it.”
A day after the Cocos Fire was called 100 percent contained, about 100 North County residents gathered in Maple Street Plaza to shake hands with and thank Escondido firemen and policeman for keeping their homes safe.
Yvonne Barcelona of San Marcos along with her husband, Hank, came to the event to thank firefighters for saving their home as flames from the Poinsettia and the Coco Fire came at them from both sides.
“We’re blessed. These guys are just our guardian angels,” Barcelona said, pointing over her shoulder at firefighters.
Adults and children from Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center and Vista were among the crowd that applauded as Escondido Mayor Sam Abed praised the cooperation and efforts of the fire and police departments.
Lowry, saying that he was humbled by the reception, called last week’s wildfires a “perfect storm” with “unbelievable conditions.”
The statewide drought, coupled with strong winds and low humidity created difficult firefighting conditions.
“We hope we never have to face this again,” the fire chief said, “but it’s probably not if but rather when.”
Lowry made the following requests of residents for the current fire season: “Be proactive, have 100 feet of defensible space around your house, have an evacuation plan, be ready to go, have good access to your house for us and — if asked to evacuate — please do so.”
