RAMONA, CALIF. — With some of the worst wildfires dying down, many Southern Californians lucky enough to find their homes still standing could nevertheless face hardships for weeks to come, including polluted air, no electricity and no drinking water.
Power lines are down in many burned-over areas, and the smoke and ash could irritate people’s lungs for as long as the blazes keep burning.
Randy and Aimee Powers returned to this mountain community in San Diego County on Friday to find their home without electricity or water, after firetrucks drained the town’s reservoir.
Residents of 10,000 Ramona homes who called the water department were greeted by a recorded phone message that said: “We are in extreme water crisis situation. No water use is allowed.”
Thousands of people continued returning to their neighborhoods as shelters across Southern California began shutting down. The largest, Qualcomm Stadium, which had housed 10,000 refugees at the height of the disaster, was being emptied out and readied for Sunday’s NFL football game between the San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans.
While the danger had eased considerably, numerous fires were still burning out of control, and one in Orange County triggered renewed efforts to evacuate residents Friday.
