The practice field at Qualcomm Stadium was turned into a housing areas for horses, dogs, and other animals. Photo courtesy: Steve Wightman.

But when driving to work down Interstate 15, the sky looked different than usual at this time of year. I realized that it reminded me of the skies that covered San Diego five years earlier. And this particular Monday was soon to be like no other.

While most of us slept Sunday night the entire eastern edge of San Diego County was being engulfed by wildfires … wildfires that were being fanned by the seasonably common Santa Ana winds.

While going through my emails prior to beginning the workday, suddenly a message appeared from the mayor’s office. It stated that people were being evacuated from their homes and businesses because of the fires -- to Qualcomm Stadium.

So, at 6 a.m. the Q became the main evacuation center for San Diego County. What was a sports stadium just a few minutes earlier now became a refuge for the young, the old, families, neighbors, pets and every conceivable possession that people might hastily grab on the way out the door in an evacuation.

The first evacuees began arriving at the stadium around 8 a.m. that Monday. The traffic was not much more than a trickle into the 150 acres of asphalt parking lots that surround the stadium. But, by nightfall the 20,000 stadium parking spaces were about a third occupied by cars, trucks, vans, motor-homes, horse trailers, tents and sleeping bags.

While the parking lots began to fill stadium personnel began implementing the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) which, in part, included contacting companies currently servicing the stadium for additional items, supplies and services such as extra portable toilets and trash containers for the parking lots. However, it soon became apparent that much more was going to be needed.

Numerous other city departments, agencies and military forces sprung into action and added resources to a well developed and seamless execution of the city’s Emergency Plan. Parks and Recreation provided trucks, forklifts and personnel to assist with the flooding of donated food, clothing and supplies channeled through a “distribution center” setup in the far portion of one of the parking lots.

Medical Services department setup first aid just inside one of the main gates along with a full medical triage in one of the four club lounges. The Waste Water department provided specialized trucks for owners of motor-homes and RVs to pump out their sewage tanks while the Collection department added trash trucks and personnel to provide and empty extra trash containers scattered throughout the parking lots.

The old Charger practice field, located in the far corner of the stadium complex, and now used for rugby, soccer, tailgate parties and overflow parking at Charger games, became the animal shelter for the hundreds of pets of those evacuated. Animals ranged from the normal dogs and cats to birds, horses, cows, goats, snakes, gerbils and mice.

Complete with veterinarians, nurses and throngs of volunteers, all animals were meticulously screened and cared for. To help with the effort the ground crew setup a watering area for the horses and larger animals and cleaned out some of the nearby open storage bins which became crude animal pens.

When the evacuations began arriving on this frightful Monday it was envisioned that all would be confined to the parking lot areas. However, it became evident early on that we were going to have to open up the stadium to properly accommodate all of those who were now entrusted to our care.

Since we were still in the middle of our football season it was decided that all evacuees who came into the stadium would be confined to the seating areas and concourses only, leaving the playing field, locker rooms, private suites and restaurants off limits.

When the gates into the stadium were opened each person passed a table to be documented for emergency purposes however, this exercise soon disappeared when a major logjam quickly appeared. Whether due to the shear numbers of people or a lack of adequate staffing or a combination of both the gates were simply opened up allowing a free-flow of people into the stadium under a somewhat watchful eye of security personnel. It was hoped that the people would conduct themselves differently than our normal football crowd. I’m certain that the fact that no alcohol was allowed greatly contributed to that success.

As always, the Navy, Marines and Army stepped up and provided thousands of sleeping cots, sleeping bags, tents and blankets. Additional medical supplies were brought in and full medical services were expanded to include all four club lounges and the entire Club Level concourse. The Club Level of the stadium became the medical ward and only the elderly and those requiring medical care were allowed on that level of the stadium. Additional National Guardsmen were brought in to provide added security for the stadium.

As Monday turned into Tuesday and Tuesday into Wednesday donations of all kinds continued to pour in to the point of exceeding the needs of those housed at the stadium. The number of evacuees now residing within the stadium totaled nearly 10,000.

The Field concourse became “tent city” with tents covering nearly every square foot and filled mostly with families. Early in the week four nursing homes had been evacuated bringing nearly 500 elderly into the stadium most of whom would be quartered on the Club Level near medical services.

Shower trailers were brought in and setup in one of the parking lots and became a much welcomed spot for those many evacuees who had been camped out since the first day. Portable heaters were spread throughout the main concourse to provide some warmth to the exhausted and worried stadium crowd.

With each passing day we all became more experienced in our new roles. City department directors worked along side custodians. Local schools and PTA organizations created a “children’s corner” that provided games and educational tools to the throngs of children.

Many of the 800 TVs inside the stadium were turned on early in the week to provide evacuees with constant updated fire and evacuation information. At 5 p.m. every night the Jumbotron scoreboard became the children’s theater, featuring various Disney movies in hopes of providing the children and their parents a little bit of relief from the anxieties of the day.

On Thursday the 25th the media began relating the much awaited news that the authorities were allowing families of some of the communities to return to their homes. Joy and jubilation reverberated throughout the stadium with each mentioned community. And, the numbers within the stadium slowly began to diminish … much like the 4th quarter when the game is well in hand..

By noon Friday all of the evacuees were gone and the focus was back to getting ready for the Charger game on Sunday. The poor air quality the fires brought to the city prevented San Diego State from practicing and their Saturday game with BYU was postponed. The Chargers, on the other hand, moved to Phoenix that week for their practices and it was decided the game on Sunday would indeed be played at Qualcomm Stadium.

With an exhausted stadium staff we began the long task of cleaning up and getting ready for the game. The ground crew began painting the football field and the custodial staff began cleaning the stadium, which included washing off the ash from the fires in the seating areas, concourses and sidewalks. The cleanup and preparation efforts would not be fully completed until early Sunday morning.

Kickoff Sunday was on time!

Personally, this experience was very touching in many ways. It showed me those things that matter most in life … family and friends. The faces of those last elderly evacuees that were wheeled out of the stadium on Friday showed me the true meaning of determination in getting through difficult times. The chalk marks on the concrete, posters hung on the walls, stick figures, funny faces, words of wisdom and messages of thanks left behind in the “children’s corner” left a lasting impression on me, as well … that our youth can teach us volumes about resiliency.