“We could see the fires all up this hill. It's unbelievable. You know, it just happened just like that,” said John Althoff, a resident of Wilding Lane in San Luis Obispo, as he recalled watching the Lizzie Fire spread Monday afternoon.
It was a harrowing experience for neighbors and San Luis Obispo High School students on the eve of Halloween as the fire burned more than 100 acres of brush and came dangerously close to some people's homes.
As firefighters rushed to the scene to combat the fire, by 4:20 p.m., local residents began receiving alerts on their phones, notifying them of evacuation orders. However, confusion soon set in as some were unsure whether the alerts covered their areas.
“They were names of streets that go east or west and so we thought, well, that sounds like us, but I'm not really sure,” said Debbie Beck, another Wilding Lane resident.
Beck's home is located a few blocks away from the fire, and even though her evacuation zone wasn't included in the alerts, she and her partner decided to take precautions and evacuate to French Hospital.
The situation was different for Lisa Mackenzie, a resident of Lizzie Street. She could see the flames approaching the San Luis Obispo High School football field from her backyard. Instead of referring to the evacuation zone maps, she sought advice from nearby firefighters regarding the evacuation process.
“It took a good couple of hours before we were getting any information online," Mackenzie said, "So it was just kind of real-time watching the firefighters and watching the neighbors and seeing what was going on.”
It was only a few months ago that the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services (OES) introduced new evacuation zones, urging residents to be aware of their designated zones for better preparedness during emergencies.
However, like Beck, Mackenzie admitted they were unaware of their zones when the fire broke out on Monday.
The City of San Luis Obispo emphasizes that knowing one's evacuation zone is crucial, regardless of whether someone lives in a fire-prone area or not. Residents can determine their evacuation zone and register for emergency notifications at ReadySlo.org.
