Remembering the Rice Fire

Memories of the Rice Fire came crashing back to Fallbrook residents this week when a wall of flames and billowing smoke raced up the landmark hills known as Sleeping Indian in the southwest portion of the community.

The firestorm, dubbed the Juliet Fire, consumed 3,900 acres on Camp Pendleton, butted up to the Fallbrook border at one point and deftly triggered memories of what happened almost exactly one year ago.

For many, those memories from 2007 signify a particularly stressful time in their lives; for others, the stress has never subsided as they continue to rebuild their lives, homes and...