Valley crews facing dangerous conditions in San Diego County firefight

SAN DIEGO (KFSN) -- It's been an uphill battle for those on the front lines in Southern California as they face temperamental winds.

At least 10 fires have torn a destructive path through San Diego County since Tuesday. The fires as a whole are so immense they're clouding skies 100 miles north of the area.

"The stuff here you see burned here are 30 years' worth of life for their family. I've never experienced anything like this," said Escondido resident T.D. Walton.

The testament from residents all across the 10 fires are the same. The record-setting drought conditions have spawned fires that resembles hell on earth.

"It started breaking down and it was down here in 20 minutes just barreled down this valley. Tornado fires going up in the air," said Cocos fire evacuee Steve Anderson.

The fires have burned 11 houses, three buildings and countless acres of land. A homeless man was killed and some firefighters have been hurt.

"Fire conditions down there the last couple of days have been pretty bad when the wind kicks up or you have a big wind shift fire conditions can get pretty bad," said Fresno Fire Department public information officer Koby Johns.

He says a strike team that includes Fresno city firefighters are in charge of protecting homes and structures.

"So you have big houses built in sort of these rolling hills with lots of basically grasses and fuels, so when these fires get going in Southern California a lot of people's homes are threatened," said Johns.

The local strike team deployed Wednesday is on assignment for at least two weeks.

"They're super thankful. They're getting a lot of support from the community, a lot of people are happy to see them. They're getting what they need," said Johns.

The intensity of the fires in San Diego County is on the decline but weather patterns could quickly change that. Crews are closely monitoring hot spots and flare-ups in all 10 firefighting regions.