Heat Emergency and Twin Wildfires Grip the County Through Friday
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The National Weather Service's Extreme Heat Warning, running from 10 a.m. Tuesday through 8 p.m. Friday, August 28, placed San Diego County's inland communities in a genuine public health emergency. KPBS reporting put La Mesa temperatures in the range of 97 to 99 degrees through Thursday and Friday — a stretch of heat that falls hardest on neighborhoods with older housing stock and residents without central air conditioning.
San Diego Unified activated high-heat protocols while keeping campuses open, a deliberate choice rooted in the argument that schools offer air-conditioned, supervised environments that may be safer than sending students home to potentially hotter conditions. The district moved outdoor activities indoors, rescheduled strenuous recess and athletics to cooler parts of the day, expanded water access, and directed health staff to actively monitor for symptoms. High school coaches reportedly hold heat-illness-prevention certifications, and school nurses are trained to recognize and manage heat emergencies.
Two new fires ignited Wednesday afternoon against this overheated backdrop. The Diamond Fire was reported at 4:24 p.m. and the Rocky Fire followed at 4:55 p.m., both on private land in San Diego County. As of early Thursday, no containment figures or confirmed cause information had been released. With temperatures elevated and afternoon humidity dropping, officials warned that small ignitions can escalate rapidly.
County health officials urged residents to avoid strenuous outdoor activity during afternoon hours, carry water, keep phones charged, and recognize the signs of heat illness — including dizziness, confusion, nausea, excessive sweating, or skin that feels hot and dry without sweating, the last of which signals heat stroke and requires immediate emergency response. Residents subscribed to AlertSanDiego notifications were advised to treat any alerts as high priority through Friday evening.