DULZURA, Calif. - Some wildfire victims in the burn areas are keeping a wary eye on the sky, as Hurricane Hilary approaches.
Early Friday afternoon, the wind picked up outside John Gaskins' home in Dulzura, ahead of a weekend that could bring a lot of rain.Last August, he woke to the smell of smoke, as the Border 32 Fire bore down on his family's 80-acre ranch.He evacuated a short time later. The next day came the sobering aftermath.Weeks later, a rainy forecast brought new worries. ABC 10News was there as Gaskins' family members piled the sandbags.
How powerful did those rains end up being? There is a creek bed which cuts through the property. It was about 6 to 8 feet deep. After the rains and the debris flow, it became 20 feet deep in some parts."Water comes off of mountains. At times, it looked like waves on the ocean,” said Gaskins.This time, with recent burn areas less able to absorb rainwater, there are more flooding concerns.
“If it comes down hard, we probably won’t sleep much. We need to see where the water is going. We know it can take out a lot of stuff,” said Gaskins.In total, the Border 32 Fire burned nearly 4,500 acres in the Barrett Junction area, and destroyed 10 structures.