Wildfire in California, September 25, 1997

Name: Wildfire in California, September 25, 1997
Start: 1997-09-25T11:45
End: 1997-09-25T17:00
Location: California

September 25, 1997 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 wildfire, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
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Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, San Diego

When: September 25, 11:45 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: San Diego County, Del Dios
Property damage: $300,000
Coordinates: 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A fire, started by an arsonist, quickly went out of control due to hot, dry easterly winds in advance of Tropical Storm Nora. Erratic sea breeze winds complicated fire fighting efforts by afternoon, as the blaze went on to torch some 1,100 acres in the Del Dios area. Two homes were destroyed, one damaged, two sheds and two motor homes gutted, and seven utility poles and transformers destroyed. At the height of the fire, 1000 residences were evacuated, 2000 lost power, and the Del Dios Highway was closed. Estimated damage to property totalled $300,000, and suppression efforts cost another $350,000.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5614112.