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California wildfires spread to San Diego County
December 7, 2017
On Dec. 7, a wildfire, known as the “Lilac” fire, broke out off Interstate 15 in the Bonsall region. As of the published date, 4,100 acres have been charred and there is 0 percent containment. Evacuations have been ordered in all homes within the Bonsall area bound by West Lilac Road, Interstate 15, Gopher Canyon Road and East Vista Way, along with residencies within the Oceanside area bordered by Burma Road, Wilshire Road, North River Road and South Mission Avenue.
CUSD superintendent, Dr. Ben Churchill, released an statement announcing the districts closure on Friday. School is expected to be back in session by Monday.
“Student and staff safety is our top priority,” the statement reads. “Because of the potential loss of critical support infrastructure, including power and communications networks, as well as poor air quality, we’ve decided the most prudent course of action is to close schools and the district office.”
The following school districts and colleges have also announced temporary closure due to the fire:
Bonsall Unified School District, Fallbrook Union District, Guajome Park Academy, Julian Union District, Momentum Learning juvenile court and community schools, Mountain Empire Unified School District, Oceanside Unified School District, San Marcos Unified School District, Spencer Valley School District, Vista Unified School District and Warner Unified School District.
Although the fires are mostly located in the Bonsall area currently, CHS students are already being affected by the Lilac fire.
“What usually is a 30 minute drive from the school back to my house turned into a 4 hour drive today,” junior Olivia Sklenka said. “On the way home, I went though road closures, fires on train tracks near the Amtrack on El Camino Real, and so much more.”
All school activities scheduled for Friday are cancelled, including the Lancer Dancer showcase and the home basketball game. Efforts will be made into rescheduling these events for later dates.