Homeowners clean up and regroup amid the embers of the Valley fire

With coffee cup in hand and his dog Itch resting at his feet, 63-year-old Lawson Valley homeowner Jim Berke on Saturday morning looked over his property, transformed into a charred moonscape by the Valley fire.

Amazingly, the flames stopped just short of consuming the three-bedroom house he shares with his 17-year-old son.

"It's unbelievable," Berke said. "We were very fortunate."

One week after the Valley fire broke out, it was clean-up day for rural East County residents impacted by the blaze that has destroyed 30 homes, wiped out 31 smaller structures and burned through 17,655 acres in the Japatul and Lawson valleys outside of Alpine.

By Saturday evening, Cal Fire declared the Valley fire 79 percent contained.

Firefighters spent the day mopping up hot spots while hand crews continued cutting dense vegetation to strengthen lines and make sure the fire remained within the burn footprint. Lower temperatures and higher humidity helped efforts and gave exhausted homeowners some relief.

A lifelong resident of the area, Berke recalled his father teaching him how to put out fires with a shovel. But he had never seen anything like the blaze that forced him to evacuate a week ago.

"A bulldozer was here," Berke said, pointing to a nearby ridge, "and then they did three (water) drops and I thought it would be OK but (the fire) broke that line and, boy, it just went wild when it got into that oak grove over there and the winds picked up ... It was like a hurricane, I'm not kidding you."

Lori Gladfelter carefully walked along the gray-black soil and crossed a dirt road, past San Diego Gas & Electric crews working to re-energize lines along Lawson Valley Road. She was checking on Marie Demarbiex, a neighbor who lives just over a nearby hill.

Demarbiex, her husband and family spent a couple anxious days not knowing if their home and the house her mother-in-law lives in had survived the fire.

"We have a camera outside the door — we could see straight to the property, it was burning," Demarbiex said. "We couldn't distinguish what was burning. It was intense, it was overwhelming."

Both houses were spared, although Demarbiex's 60-foot-by-40-foot greenhouse burned down.

Others were not as fortunate. About one long, winding block away, a small home was completely decimated. The incinerated remains of a trampoline stood a few feet from the foundation. A blackened scooter lay next to it.

One of Demarbiex's neighbors saw his car catch fire and he ran down the street before catching a ride and getting out, she said.

The remnants of the four-door are just up the street from a house Gladfelter and her husband own and use as a rental property. The house escaped the flames, but 39 of the property's 40 acres burned, including one of the dugouts of a baseball diamond the couple had built for their sons and their friends.

"It's unbelievable the stuff he's done to that place," Gladfelter said of her husband, Tim. "He made bridges just recently and they burned. To see all the hours he put out there and it's just gone, that's the sad part."

Despite the close calls, Gladfelter and Demarbiex said they have no intention of moving away. It was a sentiment shared by other long-time Lawson Valley residents.

"That ain't gonna happen," said Bill, a glazier who did not want to give his last name. "I own my property so I'm in it for the long haul." Two mobile homes on his property burned down but his modular home avoided any fire damage.

A few miles away, a San Diego County Local Assistance Center opened at a nearby library to help residents affected by the Valley fire. Agencies ranging from the American Red Cross to the California Department of Insurance to SDG&E erected booths. A mobile unit from the county's Live Well San Diego wellness initiative was also on site to help those interested in taking part in a range of assistance programs.

"We've created a one-stop shop for services to help people recover," said Donna Durckel, a county spokeswoman.

By 1 p.m., 49 people had visited the center, located at the Rancho San Diego Library at 11555 Via Rancho San Diego.

"It seems unreal," Japatul Valley area resident Joshua Havins, 39, said as he dropped by. He lost his 1,200-square-foot house in Hidden Glen. "I'll let my feet take me in there and go from booth to booth or person to person, however I got to do it. I'm still in shock."

The Local Assistance Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.

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