"There seems to be a real hunger to help by those who haven't been affected," he said. "That speaks volumes about the quality of people we have in the church and in the community."

In Mira Mesa, about 14 miles north of downtown San Diego, Utah native Amy Crum and her husband, Brian, warily awaited their turn to evacuate even as firefighters made gains.

"The fire started on Sunday, and we were kind of just keeping an eye on it, but it was kind of to the north of us so we weren't worried about it," Crum said Wednesday. "We woke up Monday morning, and it had really gotten out of control."

The fire's front was still about 15 miles northeast of their home, but neighborhoods within one-half mile of their rented condominium were being evacuated Monday.

"We packed important things in the car to get ready to evacuate," Crum said. "Then the wind shifted a little bit and the fire started heading away from us, so we were a little more comfortable."

The air Monday and Tuesday was so thick with smoke it made her feel nauseated and dehydrated. "It's a lot better today (Wednesday) than it was before."

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E-mail: ghill@desnews.com