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First responders, Mayor Todd Gloria and other local leaders will gather in El Cajon Wednesday afternoon. They are 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 during an interview Tuesday.
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.
The wildfires combined burned more than 273,000 acres, a total of 13% of San Diego County's landmass. It also cost the lives of 15 people—that includes Steven Rucker who was a fire engineer who died battling the Cedar Fire near Julian.
MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/wildfire/remembering-the-cedar-fire-20-years-later/509-8c66b7e1-bd08-4abe-bfe2-1c74ecc92242