FALLBROOK, Calif. — An important fire evacuation road in Fallbrook is undergoing repairs after being closed for nearly a year. A County Public Works crew began Monday working to replace a broken culvert underneath Sage Road.
The Garden Fire that broke out in the area last month scorched nearly 50 acres and forced evacuations.
“We immediately just threw the cat in the car and left because we knew if the wind shifts or something happens and it comes up, there’s no way out for anybody,” said Susie Pusch, who lives on Sumac Road with her husband.
With Sage Road being closed for so long, the fast-moving fire exposed a vulnerability.
“That was the only way out, so if something happens there, nobody can get out,” said Franz Pusch.
For many residents in the area, Sage Road is their preferred evacuation route to the 76 freeway. The road has been closed since January when the underground culvert collapsed during a heavy rain event.
“It was very scary because in the area where we live, there’s so much fire hazard that any exit that’s closed is scary,” said Susie.
CBS 8 first talked with the Pusch family last month when they were trying to raise funds to fix the road.
Because they live in a Permanent Road Division (PRD), repairs are normally paid for using funds collected each year from homeowners. But they didn’t have enough money at the time, nor did they have enough signatures on a petition to approve a county loan.
But after our CBS 8 story aired, the County found a creative solution to lower costs by bringing in a road crew from the Department of Public Works that had a break in their schedule. It's a crew that PRD communities don’t normally have access to.
“We’re all surprised, you know, we’re shocked because we didn’t have the votes to get the percentage that we needed,” said Susie.
And now that the work is finally being done, people living near Sage Road are feeling relieved.
“It makes me very happy that we helped all the neighbors that live on top of us, and that makes me feel good," said Franz.
The county crew is working 12-hour days until Friday when they hope to reopen the road.
