1976: High Winds Cause Brush Blaze in Casa de Oro

According to the Spring Valley Bulletin, here's what was happening in Spring Valley this week in 1976:

– A cleanup and beautification effort was taking place in Lemon Grove and Spring Valley flood areas. The project got about $150,000 in funding, and were completed as part of the Comprehensive Employment Training Act. Some of the project areas included: Bancroft Ditch, Lemon Grove to Jamacha Boulevard, Casa de Oro Creek, Sweetwater Springs Boulevard to Bancroft Avenue, Broadway Channel, Imperial Avenue to the City of San Diego limit, and the community of Jamacha.

– Congress was in the midst of voting for a measure which would deregulate natural gas distribution from the Alaska Pipeline, a move that could cost residents of Lemon Grove and Spring Valley abotu $1.8 million, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. It would affect about 60,000 people in those combined communities. El Cajon (60,000 people) would also feel an increase of about $1.8 million, and the County of San Diego would see an increase of about $38 million. Reports estimate that it would be about $94 per year per resident over what it was estimated to be in 1980, if the deregulation occurs.

– High winds spread heavy brush fire in Casa de Oro. Combined with strong Santa Ana winds, a residential TV antenna fell across some electrical power lines on Canyon, south of SR-94, east of Kenora Drive. About 15 acres of grassland burned, but was contained in about 30 minutes. Fire Marshall Orville Williams said that it could have been a lot worse.