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First responders and other local leaders gathered in El Cajon Wednesday afternoon, remembering the people who lost their lives in the Cedar Fire and the damage it brought 20 years ago.
"It was just devastation, chaos everywhere. We did what we could to get people out of the way and save homes," said Cal Fire Captain Brent Pascua.
"The skies were eerie, wind was blowing, you knew it was going to be not a good day," said San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell.
"It didn't matter how many resources we had at that time. [There were] 60 miles per hour winds, 3600 acres a minute burning through the community. You couldn't see five feet in front of you," he added.
The Cedar Fire was originally reported on October 25, 2003. It started in the Cleveland National Forest near Bonita. Flames ignited after a lost hiker started a fire to signal help. By the next day, the Cedar Fire grew out of control because of the Santa Ana winds. The Paradise Fire and Otay Fire sparked on October 26, 2003.
MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/wildfire/remembering-the-cedar-fire-20-years-later/509-8c66b7e1-bd08-4abe-bfe2-1c74ecc92242