Smoke, Road Closures from Fire Forces Evacuation of Palomar School Camp

Smoke and road closures due to the 100+ acre fire near Pala prompted school officials to close Camp Palomar and return all 210 students to San Diego this evening.

The students are from Wilson Middle School in Mid-City, Porter K-8 in Lincoln Park and Logan K-8 in Logan Heights. All are sixth grade students and are expected to arrive by school buses at their home campuses by 9:30 p.m. today. Students are accompanied by teachers and other district staff members; no injuries have been reported.

Each school's principal is notifying parents and guardians by the district's emergency "reverse 911" telephone system to pick up their child at school; parents/guardians must have photo identification to pick up their child.

Parents/guardians with questions can contact the San Diego Unified School District Police Department at (619) 291-7678. Students who are not retrieved will be taken to the county's Polinsky Children's Center for the night after every effort is made to contact a parent/guardian.

The camp itself is not considered threatened by the fire at this time, which reportedly has been contained.

The Camp Palomar program has been a part of the San Diego school tradition for more than a half century. Students spend three nights at the historic lodge adjacent to the Palomar Mountain State Park and Cleveland National Forest. While there, they learn about nature and experience different cultures under the watchful eye of teachers and an expert staff.