An Oceanside community is rattled after a violent hit-and-run early Monday morning.

Oceanside police say Esteysi Sanchez Izazaga, who goes by Stacy Sanchez, allegedly drove for more than mile with the victim partially in her car after crashing into him.

One Oceanside family told NBC 7, they felt that they had to do something for him.

The Grimmet family started a makeshift memorial Monday night for the victim. They said they didn't know him but they don’t want him to be forgotten.

“What if it was my family?” said Junior Grimmet.

Police say Izazaga is suspected of driving under the influence during the time of the crash.

At approximately 6:20 a.m., witnesses reported a man walking on the sidewalk hit by a car on the 4000 block of Mission Avenue. Police say Izazaga allegedly drove for a mile with the victim’s body lodged in the front seat. The 29-year old then parked in a cul-de-sac and walked away before she was arrested.

Investigators say she was driving so fast, the man's leg detached from his body and flew through the back window, landing on the trunk of the car.

“It’s very heartbreaking. I can’t imagine what he went through,” said Oceanside resident Sarah Plant. “No matter what, we're all human."

Witness Edwin Esparza told NBC 7 he was there when Izazaga stopped and got out of the car.

“Kept walking away and I kept asking her ‘who's that man, who's that man’. She was crying and not really answering me,” Esparza said.

Izazaga was arrested for felony DUI, hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter.

Police say they do know the victim's identity but the Medical Examiner’s office has not released the information.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information is asked to call the Oceanside Police Department at (760) 435-4911.

An officer with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) was injured Tuesday morning in a crash on a freeway off-ramp in the Grantville area, officials said.

The collision happened just before 5:45 a.m. on the ramp at northbound Interstate 15 to westbound Friars Road. According to the police department, an officer, for unknown reasons, veered off the ramp and crashed.

The officer suffered minor injuries, including pain to his left shoulder.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials temporarily shut down traffic to the off-ramp following the accident, which caused major backup for commuters in the busy area.

No further details were immediately released. For traffic updates from NBC 7, click here.

San Diego State University (SDSU) issued a community safety notification on Sunday after a man was arrested for touching a female student and later released.

The suspect, identified as 28-year old Robbie Shumate is not a student at SDSU.

According to the safety notification, Shumate allegedly touched a female student around 2:18 p.m. on the 5700 block of Montezuma Road. He was arrested shortly after.

Other female students also reported that Shumate had tried to engage in similar contact with them.

Shumate was released from custody and has since been seen in the area around the SDSU campus.

He is approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall, 185 pounds, with dark hair, blue eyes and scruffy facial hair. He was wearing a dark baseball hat, long-sleeve orange shirt and gray Dickies pants.

Anyone with information or questions should contact crime stoppers at (619)235-8477.

San Diego's hopes of adding more fire stations may wind up blowing away in the winds of politics.

While rebuilding jobs and long-delayed projects finally are getting started, a larger construction program faces serious challenges.

A consulting report that's already six years old identified 19 major gaps in the Fire-Rescue Department's vast coverage area.

Right now, the average response-time goal of seven and a half minutes is being met on only 70 percent of the calls, instead of the targeted 90 percent.

“For us to get to that 90 percent, we're going to need to close those gaps,” says Fire-Rescue Dept. Chief Brian Fennessey. “Whether they're fire stations and some other "flex-type", adaptive response type model, whatever that is."

After years of inaction stemming from the city’s pension crisis and Great Recession, money is available in capital improvement programs to rebuild many decades-old firehouses such as Station 17 in City Heights.

And, to put up new ones in areas such as Mission Valley, where lack of funding delayed the process and kept fire fighters and their rigs in temporary double-wides.

But since the "CityGate" consultants' report in 2010 , there's been virtually no progress on the building boom that was recommended to close the 'coverage' gaps.

Some may just need small quick-response units, and time-management assignment of crews to otherwise uncovered gaps.

Either way, city officials have been talking about a $205 million November bond issue for construction purposes.

Which would require a two-thirds majority vote, and face a slew of other propositions.

"We should be exploring all these other options and trying to reduce our response times, and do whatever's needed with the funds that we currently have available,” says Jesse Conner, board member of the rank-and-file San Diego Fire Fighters Local 145. “However, that does not address the long-term issue that we're all aware of, where the fire stations are not being built of have not been built."

The City Council was scheduled to vote Tuesday afternoon on sending the bond measure to the city attorney to prepare for the ballot.

But David Alvarez was taken ill, winding up in urgent care, and his fellow Democrats weren't sure the resolution would pass without his presence.

So the measure is expected to return to Council on July 11th -- still a political question mark.

Police activity in the Logan Heights area shut down the trolley and caused traffic delays on Tuesday.

The incident happened at approximately 2:43 p.m. 32 Street and Imperial Avenue in San Diego.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System tweeted that the Orange Line bus bridge would be shut down until further notice. Commuters can expect 20 to 25 mind delays in service.

No other information was immediately available.

The man who died while snorkeling in La Jolla Monday has been identified.

Paul Rooney, 49, was visiting from New York with his family, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).

On Monday evening around 6 p.m., Rooney developed medical distress while he was in the water just east of La Jolla Cove. A kayaker helped lifeguards take him to shore where they began CPR.

Rooney was trasported to Scripps Memorial Hospital where he later died.

The cause of death was determined to be drowning.

Perched above Petco Park, looking down on the East Village is a clock, counting down the seconds until the Major League Baseball All Star Game on July 12.

It will be one of the biggest sporting events in years for San Diego. However, while crews are putting on the finishing touches around the ballpark, preparations around the rest of the neighborhood are a little less certain.

East Village has a reputation for being home to one of the country’s largest homeless populations, but the city has said it does not plan to handle the issue any differently because of the game. 

Over the past week, signs have been posted around the neighborhood warning people to remove their belongings from sidewalks. Then, on Monday morning, city crews did clean the sidewalks, impounding or throwing away items that had not been moved. 

According to the city and several homeless people in the neighborhood, the sweeps are nothing new, and signs are always posted 72 hours in advance.

However, some of the homeless told NBC 7, there seems to be more enforcement whenever a big event comes to town.

"When things happen like comic con, or baseball games, there's a lot more presence,” said Tony Rodriguez.

Another woman camped out two blocks from the ballpark claimed police threatened her.

"They actually told us that if we don’t get out of here that they're going to arrest us, all of us, by the time the game starts." said Mariah Miller.

The city’s official response is that no additional enforcement or measures will be taken because of the game. City spokesman Craig Gustafson said the sidewalk sweeps are complaint driven.

“This cleanup work is routine and is not tied to any special events,” said Gustasfson. “Point in fact, many of the individuals who are asked to remove their belongings for the cleanup work immediately return to occupy those same streets after the work is completed.”

Some people who live in the neighborhood, however, doubt the city will allow the rest of the country to see what certain blocks typically look like.

“I’m pretty sure they’re going to mask it,” said Kevin Monzon, “They’re gonna try to hide it for a weekend and then forget about it, I’m sure.” 

Other downtown residents, like Larry Kessler, said if the city cannot come up with a permanent solution to the homeless issue, visitors should see that.

"Why not just own up to it. It just seems ludicrous to me to have to do this,” said Kessler, "It's part of the fabric of our city. It's an issue that we have to deal with."

Theodore Dizon sleeps on the streets a few blocks from the park. He says he would like to see a permanent solution, and hopes the city does not take short term action, just to put on a good show.

“Does that mean that my feelings are less important than an all star game?” he said. “Why doesn't the city provide us a place, give us a place that we can be in compliance with the law."

Whether the city does anything different to temporarily address the issue should be fairly easy to see come July 12.

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are offering free calls and text messages from the U.S. to Turkey after deadly explosions rocked the Istanbul airport, killing dozens and injuring scores more.

Officials have called Tuesday's assault a coordinated terror attack, and Turkey's prime minister said ISIS is likely to blame. 

All four major U.S. phone carriers are waiving fees for customers who are trying to reach loved ones in Turkey.

AT&T

Charges for any calls made to Turkey from the U.S. by landline or wireless customers between Tuesday, June 28 to Thursday, June 30 will be waived or credited, the company announced. Text messages are also free.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Istanbul and our customers who have friends and family there," AT&T said in a statement following the attacks.

Verizon

Verizon will not charge customers for international calls and texts made from the U.S. to Turkey on Tuesday, June 28 and Wednesday, June 29, according to the company.

"More than 170,000 Verizon employees worldwide extend condolences to all our friends and family in Turkey," the company said in a statement posted on its website Tuesday.

The exemption applies to both landline and wireless calls.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is also waiving fees for calls and texts to Turkey, the company said. The offer extends from Tuesday, June 28 through Tuesday, July 5 and applies to prepaid and postpaid customers of T-Mobile Simple Choice, along with customers of MetroPCS, GoSmart Mobile and Wal-Mart Family Mobile. 

"Today’s attack in Istanbul is both tragic and horrifying," said T-Mobile President and CEO John Legere, in a statement. "Our hearts are with everyone affected by this senseless act."

Sprint

Customers of Sprint, Boost and Virgin Mobile will receive free international calls and text messages to Turkey from Tuesday, June 28 through Tuesday, July 5, the company said.

All international long distance, roaming and SMS charges will be waived.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those personally affected during this difficult time," Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a statement. "We want to do everything we can to show our support and heartfelt sympathy to all Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile customers with family and friends in the region."

An Indiana couple was arrested Tuesday — two years after police removed their "extremely emaciated" 12-year-old from their home, NBC News Reported.

The child weighed just 23 pounds at the time and was disabled, said Sheriff Terry Risner of the Jasper County Sheriff's Office.

"This was their child," Risner told NBC News. "We're staying gender neutral for the sake of the victim. This is a small community."

Jay Rupert, 50, and his wife Tabitha, 41, were each charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent, Risner said.

The state Department of Children and Family Services removed the child in June 2014 from the couple's residence in Rensselaer, Indiana.

According to Risner the child was diagnosed with a non-curable brain disorder that requires constant care. The child also never received formal schooling by enrollment or home school, Risner said.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has issued a Missing Person At Risk alert for 32-year-old Benjamin Frocklage.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, Frocklage walked away from his home on the 23000 block of Old Wagon Road in a remote area of Valley Center on Monday, June 27th, just before 6 p.m.

He is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.

Frocklage was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt with a rhino inside of a white circle, blue jeans, black socks and hiking sandals.

He is considered at risk because he relies on medication and may become disoriented in the heat without it.

Sheriffs say that this isn’t the first time that Frocklage has wandered away from his home and that he usually sticks to main roads and trails.

If you spot him, call the Sheriff’s Department’s non-emergency line at (858)565-5200.

Long wait times for medical and mental health care at San Diego VA Medical Centers are Veterans' top complaint, according to NBC 7's initiative asking Veterans how they feel about local services. 

Many respondents to an NBC 7 questionnaire include negative and positive comments in their express feedback.

The responses were compiled as part of NBC 7's Listen to Our Veterans initiative. Respondents were asked what's good and not so good in the categories of medical care, civilian transition, and other Veteran benefits.

Nearly a month into the survey, more than 600 veterans have responded and shared their thoughts. 

A majority of Veterans said the most important program to them is their medical benefits, but more than half said they are not satisfied with their medical care. 

Kayla Carnevale, who served in Iraq as a Marine as part of the 2003 invasion, was one of many who responded to the survey. During her service, she suffered head trauma, nerve damage and, like so many post-9/11 veterans, lives with post-traumatic stress (PTS). 

"It is unbearable at times," she told NBC 7. 

While she is thankful the VA exists to provide the care she needs, she, like many who responded, shared her frustration with the system. 

While representatives from the San Diego VA Medical Center told NBC 7 that wait times have decreased, Carnevale says she has been waiting 4 months for a mental health visit. More than 75 percent of respondents said wait times are too long. 

“I'm pretty sure they'd like to save face and say they've handled it but I'm sitting here and telling you that they haven't,” she said.  Her alternative is another wait, one in the VA emergency room, which she says can take up to eight hours.

Several Veterans shared similar experiences in the survey.

One told us it took four months after a shoulder injury to get a diagnosis of a torn rotator cuff.

“I am still looking to wait another six months before I can even see the orthopedic surgeon. Instead of treatment, I was mailed numerous pills for pain," the respondent said.

Seventeen percent of respondents said their service was outstanding, 27 percent said it was good, 26 percent called their service fair, and 31 percent described their service as poor. 

Another respondent said: "The education benefits application process was easy and the services quick, staff are also knowledgeable."

Respondents say employees are friendly and helpful and to them, attitude is the most important thing they care about when it comes to staff. They said the programs they have been satisfied with are educational and home loan programs. More than half felt good about transitioning to employment programs. 

NBC 7 launched the Listen to Our Veterans Project on Memorial Day with partners Donovan’s Steak and Chop House and HundredX’s Expresit, as well as Veterans organizations across San Diego County, including Support the Enlisted Project and the Armed Forces YMCA.

The goal of the project is to give Veterans and other interested parties an opportunity to share their experiences with Veterans services in San Diego.

The results of the project will be aggregated and published with an objective to provide content and useful insights surrounding Veterans services.

The Listen to Our Veterans Project ends Monday, July 4. This is the last week to participate. If you are a Veteran, or the family member of a Veteran, you can submit your responses here. Please share this article with any friends or family who may be interested in participating.

Former "Law & Order" director Jason "Jace" Alexander has been sentenced to 10 years probation after pleading guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year. He must also register as a sex offender in New York.

Alexander, 52, was arrested last summer in Westchester County after officials found digital pornography files on computers and external hard drives at his Dobbs Ferry home. The files showed children younger than 16 years of age engaged in child pornography, authorities have said. 

Alexander pleaded guilty in January to one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and one count of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, both felonies.

Alexander has directed nearly three dozen episodes of "Law and Order" since the mid-1990s. He is also known for his work on "Rescue Me" and "Carry Me Home." He and his wife have three children.

Witnesses and experts praised Turkish security forces — and one still-unidentified officer who gave his own life — for their composed, professional handling of Tuesday's terrorist attack on the main airport in Istanbul, which killed 41 people and injured scores.

Authorities at Ataturk International Airport, the third busiest in Europe and the 11th busiest in the world, quickly converged on the attackers while shepherding thousands of passengers, staff and visitors to safety Tuesday night.

Mohamed Ali, who told national broadcaster TRT that he was traveling from Zurich, Switzerland, to Aqaba, Jordan, said authorities calmly and swiftly conducted him and about 200 other people out of the airport from the area of their gate.

"Everything was under control," he said. "They were very polite."

Get More at NBC News. 

Before San Diego fans watched the Padres start their final home stand of the first half of the season, we caught up with a hometown favorite. San Diego product Adam Jones is back in America’s finest city with the Baltimore Orioles for a two game series against the Padres. The Morse High School alum says even though he’s playing for the other team, his old school friends and fans greeted him with open arms. “Upon landing here Sunday night my phone probably had two or three hundred text messages. Just family and friends saying hey we’re coming out to support you” says Jones. “On my fan page on Facebook we have a class group discussion of our 2003 Morse High alumni and a lot of them have responded to that page. A lot of them should be out here tonight and hopefully tomorrow. It’s just good. The only thing I don’t like about it is we’re only out here for two days.”

Despite the brevity of the trip, Jones says he was instantly transported to his childhood and the days he watched Padres legend Tony Gwynn. “I don’t think you understood or appreciated it while you’re watching it, I think it’s once everybody retires or passes away that you appreciate what they’ve done more for you” says the outfielder. “Watching him and then getting to hit with him at San Diego State over the last decade was just a treat; something that you couldn’t pay for. Money can’t buy those types of things.”

The five time all-star is also looking forward to having the All-Star Game come to his hometown. He shared a family memory during his pre-game interview today about his parents bringing home a beach towel which he believes was the giveaway souvenir at the 1992 All-Star Game. Jones says family is very important to him. In 2014 he took his son, who was only four months old at the time, to the All-Star with him. “I had him in a Bjorn [carrier], so I wore him on my chest. He was my accessory.”

This year’s All-Star game is right around the corner but Jones says he still remembers his first time in the all-star clubhouse saying, “It was just a great experience being around [Derek] Jeter, getting to meet President Obama his first year in office, just being in that club house and the atmosphere around all the big boys in the game. From that moment on it was just something inside of me that made me feel like I belong here, I belong around these guys. I know their names are big, let me make my name just as big as these guys.”

For the third consecutive year Petco Park will host the Perfect Game All-American Classic which will feature some of the best high school players in the country. Jones said he never had an opportunity to play at “Jack Murphy Stadium” (now Qualcomm Stadium), but hopes this next generation knows how lucky they are. “These kids now a days are getting spoiled. They get to come in and get the opportunity to sit in the dugouts that we sit in, sit in the club house that we’re in, sometimes eat the spread, and get on these fields where if you spit out a sunflower seed there’s someone there to pick it up for you. These kids are getting spoiled now. But at the end of the day if they’re out there working their tails off and they deserve it and they’ve earned it then more power to them.”

The Padres lost game one against the Orioles 11-7. They’ll face off again Wednesday afternoon to close out the series. The Friars will take on the New York Yankees in a three game stretch which starts Friday night at Petco Park.

The final score at Petco Park Tuesday was actually a little bit misleading. 

The Orioles led 11-1 after six frames thanks to a seven-run explosion in the 6^th inning and wound up winning 11-7. 

Morse high school alum Adam Jones only needed to see two pitches from Padres starter Erik Johnson to lace a solo home run over the right-field wall. 

It was the first time in his career that the San Diego native led off a game with a homer. 

The five-time All-Star immediately put Baltimore in front 1-0, but after that, Melvin Upton Junior hijacked the spotlight for a few innings.

Upton launched a solo shot of his own off on offering by Ubaldo Jimenez in the bottom of the first inning. His blast covered 462 feet and tied the game 1-1.

Upton started in centerfield for the injured Jon Jay - who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a right forearm fracture (retroactive to June 20^th).

Jay was seen wearing a camouflage cast over his right wrist and manager Andy Green said he is expected to miss at least four to six weeks. 

Expect Travis Jankowski and Poway’s Alex Dickerson (who was called up Tuesday) to see more playing time in the outfield as a result this July.

In the second inning, Upton sprinted to the warning track when J.J Hardy sent a screamer to deep center.  

It would have been a two-run homer but Upton reached over the wall to rob Hardy and then proceeded to gun the ball to first base to double up Mark Trumbo.

So in a span of about ten seconds, Upton prevented two runs from scoring and provided an inning-ending double play.  

It was a remarkable play that even made it on to Sportscenter's top 10 plays of the evening. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we now have at least one entry for the 2016 Padres highlight of the year.

As great as that catch was, the middle innings that followed were rather deflating. 

Johnson struggled to keep the ball in the park, as Hyun Soo Kim and Chris Davis homered to give the Orioles a 5-1 lead.

The wheels came off for San Diego in the sixth when Baltimore racked up seven runs to open up a ten-run advantage. 

Johnson fell to 0-4 since joining the Padres and allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Wil Myers added a three-run homer in the seventh to give him 18 on the season. 

His 11 home runs this month are the most by a Padres player in the month of June in franchise history.

San Diego scratched together three more runs in the ninth on a two-run double by Adam Rosales and a RBI double by Yangervis Solarte. 

The rematch is Wednesday in a 12:40 p.m. matinee. Christian Friedrich takes the mound for San Diego and opposes Baltimore’s Yovani Gallardo.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump weighed in on the Istanbul terror attacks Tuesday, underscoring the candidates' very different approaches to foreign policy, NBC News reported.

The presumptive GOP nominee suggested fighting "fire with fire," telling a crowd in Ohio "we have to fight so viciously and violently" against terrorists. The comments echoed Trump's tweets after the attack.

"We must do everything possible to keep this horrible terrorism outside the United States," he wrote.

Clinton's statement, meanwhile, emphasized Turkey's status as a U.S. ally and the need to cooperate with other countries in the region.

"Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence," she said.

The death toll of Tuesday's coordinated assault on Istanbul's busy Ataturk Airport rose to 41 Wednesday. There has been no formal claim of responsibility, but officials have pointed to ISIS.

Video played in court Monday shows a Pennsylvania man shot by the Secret Service in May holding a gun as he walked toward the south entrance of the White House.

A judge ordered 31-year-old Jesse Olivieri of Ashland, Pennsylvania, detained after prosecutors played video of the incident caught on security cameras. The footage from May 20 shows Olivieri with a gun his right hand by his side, ignoring officers' warnings to stop.

A Secret Service special officer shot Olivieri and his gun — identified in an affidavit as a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic — was kicked away from him. Officers surrounded him with their guns drawn, then begin rendering medical aid.

Before Olivieri was taken to George Washington University Hospital, a Secret Service officer asked him why he went to the White House. "I came here to shoot people," he replied, according to court documents.

A spent .22-caliber shell casing was found near the Camry on Constitution Avenue, and more ammunition was found in the car.

Olivieri is charged with resisting or impeding certain officers or employees with a dangerous weapon, a federal offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He went to court in a wheelchair Monday.

His public defender argued Olivieri never pointed or shot his gun, has no prior criminal record and has received psychiatric treatment.

But the judge ruled Olivieri is a threat to the community, saying he committed a serious crime.

The incident occurred within view of tourists outside the White House, near sidewalks crowded with families, school groups and government workers.

The White House was on lockdown for about an hour after the incident. President Barack Obama was not at the White House at the time, but Vice President Joe Biden was inside the building, administration officials said.

Editor's Note: Some of the footage in this story may be difficult to watch.

Police in Southern California gave an emotional salute Tuesday to a K-9 killed during a deadly SWAT standoff in Long Beach.

K-9 Credo and the suspect, who was armed with a knife, were both fatally shot.

A SWAT team had been locked in a standoff in the 2800 block of East 15th Street with a man wanted in a shooting case involving multiple victims, the Long Beach Police Department said. The investigation began around 9 a.m.

Officers said the man aggressively charged at police, who deployed intermediate force options, including a 40mm rubber baton round and a police service dog that was part of a special weapons team.

The service dog, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois named Credo, tried to stop the man's advance toward officers, Long Beach police said.

As Credo fought with him, the man produced a knife. One officer fired his weapon to protect himself and the other officers, authorities said. Both the suspect and Credo were struck by the officer's gunfire. The knife was recovered at the scene.

The suspect, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported, police said.

After shots rang out, aerial images showed a clearly distraught officer laying the dog’s limp body on a sidewalk and throwing his helmet to the ground. He then picked the dog up again and placed him in the back of a police cruiser. The canine was rushed to a veterinary clinic, where he died of his injures.

Credo served with the department for two years.

Photos of Credo posted on the Long Beach Police Department's Facebook page in 2014 identified his handler as Officer Mike Parcells, who lost another 4-year-old Belgian Malinois during a shooting in 2005.

Long Beach police officers stood in formation for a farewell to Credo outside the veterinarian's office Tuesday afternoon. Parcells appeared inconsolable, breaking down in tears as Credo was loaded into the K-9 cruiser.

Parcells, an officer for more than 21 years, is dealing with Credo's death 11 years after the death of K-9 Ranger, another K-9 killed in the line of duty.

Many residents came out to pay respects to Credo, who was involved in more than 30 apprehensions in his police career.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved relief efforts to help victims of the Border Fire clean and rebuild their properties impacted by the devastating 7,609-acre blaze.

At a board meeting Tuesday morning, leaders unanimously approved assistance programs for victims of the wildfire, including the waiving of permit fees to rebuild and free distribution of bins to collect and clean up debris.

The support efforts were spearheaded by District 2 Supervisor Dianne Jacob, as the Border Fire affected residents in her district. She said this is something the county has done in the past for fire victims and it’s the right thing to do.

“It’s the least that we could do as a government agency, is to waive the building permit fees and also help with debris removal and hazardous materials,” Jacob explained. “And that’s our job – to step up for people in need.”

Fueled by relentless heat and winds, the Border Fire first sparked on June 19 around 11 a.m. near the border city of Potrero in southeast San Diego County, located approximately 42 miles from downtown San Diego.

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire officials said the fire – now in its 10th day – was 92 percent contained and holding at 7,609 acres.

A total of 377 personnel remained at the Border Fire, plus 20 engines, eight water tenders and one bulldozer. Cal Fire said firefighters were continuing to strengthen containment lines and mop up hot spots. Last week, as it raged on, nearly 2,000 firefighters worked the frontlines to fight the blaze.

At its peak, the Border Fire destroyed five homes and 11 outbuildings and damaged a sixth home. It forced evacuations of approximately 700 residents in the area, as well as removal of livestock including horses, donkeys and emus, and many road closures.

For days, evacuees were left to wonder if their homes had been spared. Los Coches Creek Middle School on Dunbar Lane in unincorporated El Cajon became the gathering ground for Potrero residents, serving as an emergency shelter amid evacuations.

By the evening of June 23, Cal Fire officials said all evacuation orders had been lifted and residents were allowed to slowly and cautiously begin returning to their homes. As Potrero was repopulated, San Diego Gas & Electric continued to make repairs to many downed power lines and poles in the community.

Per the board’s decision, the county will waive permit fees for Potrero residents to rebuild any homes and structures lost in the fire, as long as the new structures are similar in size to what once stood. Those who want to rebuild with larger homes will receive a proportional waiver of fees, the board said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Jacob warned this could be one of the worst fire seasons that San Diego County has experienced in recent years. She said residents in fire-prone areas should prepare for the worst by stocking up on food, water and emergency supplies for at least three days for their families and animals.

According to Cal Fire, the Border Fire has proven especially challenging due to the steep, rugged terrain in which it sparked. The area is difficult to access and is plagued by extremely dry vegetation created by years of historic drought in California. Cal Fire described the conditions as fueling “erratic fire behavior.”