Neighbors, Firefighters Work Together as Creelman Fire Threatens San Diego Country Estates

Residents of the San Diego Country Estates faced a frightening afternoon on Wednesday, July 22, when the fast-moving Creelman Fire ignited shortly before 3 p.m. off Creelman Lane in Ramona, threatening homes and forcing evacuations.

The fire quickly spread through dry vegetation, eventually burning approximately 347 acres and prompting evacuation orders and warnings in and around the San Diego Country Estates. Firefighters from throughout San Diego County responded with engines, hand crews, aircraft and bulldozers to protect homes. By Thursday morning, the fire was reported at 60% containment after destroying one structure. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

For longtime San Diego Country Estates resident Loren Krumweide, the fire became personal when the flames reached his neighborhood.

Krumweide, a retired Santee fire engineer who has lived on Oak Springs Road for 10 years, said his home was among the first threatened.

"It was a big day," Krumweide said. "Our house was the first house the fire reached."

Knowing what was at stake, Krumweide stayed behind to defend his property while firefighters battled the wildfire nearby.

"My neighbor Steve is a current fire engineer from El Cajon," he said. "As firefighters, we knew it was a matter of time."

Krumweide said the flames reached the back fence of his property, but preparation made a difference. He had garden hoses staged around the home, had cleared vegetation around the property and immediately began soaking everything down.

"We wet everything down," he said. "I ran around putting hot spots out. An ember landed on the front deck, and we caught that."

Neighbors also pitched in.

"My neighbor had his kids out there with hoses wetting everything down," Krumweide said. "Engine 81 was backing us up."

He believes the combined efforts of residents and firefighters saved his home.

"We would have sustained damage if we hadn't stayed to wet everything down and the firefighters hadn't been on top of it," he said. "It was looking intense. The guys did an amazing job. Two Santee brush rigs were on our street, and we were well protected."

Looking back, Krumweide hopes residents take fire prevention seriously.

"A firebreak helps, and make sure you keep your property clear, so things don't light off," he said.

Just a short distance away, Dana James watched the emergency unfold from across the street.

James, who has lived in the San Diego Country Estates for 23 years on Everett Place near Oak Springs, was home alone when she learned the fire was approaching.

"The fire was across the street from us," she said. "It was too close for comfort."

She gathered her dogs and evacuated to Ramona High School, where she said volunteers made a stressful situation much easier.

"They did a wonderful job," James said. "I had my dogs with me, and there was water for them. I was offered water about 25 times, and the Red Cross had pizza. They offered that about 10 times. They did an amazing job."

Javier Garza, who lives off Oak Springs Road, also witnessed how close the wildfire came to his neighborhood.

"The fire stopped right behind our house and several neighbors' homes," Garza said.

Jason and Maggie Lang moved to Ramona and the SDCE in May 2025 from El Cajon. They fell in love with the neighborhood and like the small-town vibes. “I feel blessed where we live,” Jason says. “We feel safe.” He added that he has good neighbors around him always willing to help. He wanted to thank his neighbor, former fire fighter Dean Hunting that was going around yard to yard outing out brush fires and helping save the homes of those who had to evacuate.

Jason says the experience was eye opening and they learned a lesson on being prepared for an evacuation. He says it’s important to have an evacuation plan and to exit. He added that the county just recently cleared up 100 feet of defensible space behind his propety and he thinks this really saved many homes, including his own. He said if it hadn’t been cleared it would have been a whole lot worse.

Although many residents experienced anxious hours waiting to learn whether their homes had survived, many credit the quick response of firefighters, prepared homeowners and neighbors working together for preventing even greater losses.

For many in the San Diego Country Estates, the Creelman Fire was a reminder of just how quickly wildfire can threaten a community. But it also highlighted the value of preparedness, experienced firefighters and neighbors helping neighbors during one of the community's most challenging days.

Photos courtesy of Dana James, Loren Krumweide and Jason Lang, Jack Lebeau and Jim Williams.