California, 2002

Wildfire in California, August 27 to 28, 2002

August 27 to 28, 2002 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Two homes and five outbuildings were destroyed, a third home suffered major damage, and 275 acres of brush burned in five separate fires set by an arsonist. An estimated 150 people evacuated during the early morning hours from the communities of Kentwood, The Pines, and Whispering Pines.

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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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$750,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.

Two homes and five outbuildings were destroyed, a third home suffered major damage, and 275 acres of brush burned in five separate fires set by an arsonist. An estimated 150 people evacuated during the early morning hours from the communities of Kentwood, The Pines, and Whispering Pines. 350 firefighters, along with five aircraft, 3 helicopters, 45 engines, and 2 bulldozers, were able to save another 75 homes. Four of the blazes were quickly put out, but the fifth was in steep terrain with heavy brush, which slowed efforts to contain it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 26, 8:30 PM PST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 8:30 PM PST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
930 PM PDT MON AUG 26 2002

.SYNOPSIS...DEVELOPING UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING COOLER
WEATHER...A DEEPER MARINE LAYER AND MORE COASTAL LOW CLOUDS THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL GRADUALLY REBUILD FROM THE EAST
THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

.DISCUSSION...LOW CLOUDS WERE AGAIN POISED TO MOVE INTO COASTAL SAN
DIEGO COUNTY THIS EVENING...OTHERWISE SKIES WERE CLEAR. THE MARINE
LAYER IS STILL RATHER SHALLOW THIS EVENING AS ACARS SOUNDINGS SHOW
THE INVERSION AT AROUND 1000 FEET AT SAN/SNA. 18Z WORKSTATION ETA
SHOWS AN EDDY BY MORNING...THOUGH IT IS PROGGED TO BE A BIT WEAKER
THAN IN THE PREVIOUS RUN. THUS...WE COULD STILL SEE ONE MORE NIGHT
OF LOCALLY DENSE FOG ON THE MESAS...AND THE INLAND EMPIRE SHOULD SEE
VERY LIMITED FOG...AT MOST. HOWEVER...DEEPENING OF THE MARINE LAYER
SHOULD OCCUR TUE AS THE 850 MB FLOW BECOMES MORE CYCLONIC AND
COOLING OCCURS ALOFT.

THE PAC COAST TROUGH WILL BE AT ITS DEEPEST WED BEFORE RETREATING
SLIGHTLY THU AS HEIGHTS RISE HERE FROM THE EAST. WITH 850 MB FLOW
BEING QUITE CYCLONIC...WE MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT GLOOMY WITH THE LOW
CLOUDS WED...AND LOCAL DRIZZLE IS CERTAINLY NOT INCONCEIVABLE. MOST
OF THE HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2 TROPICAL SYSTEMS TO OUR
S/SW WILL STAY OUT THERE DUE TO THE EASTERLIES PUSHING THE MOISTURE
MOSTLY TO THE W/NW.

A QUICK ZONE UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED FOR LOW CLOUD/FOG/LOCALLY DENSE
FOG WORDING.

.SAN...NONE.

MAXWELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, San Diego

When
August 27, 1:40 AM PST to August 28, 6:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, Julian
Property damage
$750,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2002

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: 5309891.