Vista commends fire commanders for limiting Riverview Fire to about 1 acre

The Vista City Council on the evening of its regular meeting issued a proclamation recognizing battalion chief Samuel Craig and deputy chief Robbie Ford for their leadership during the Riverview Fire on Jan. 21, 2025.

The mayor read the proclamation noting that the fire occurred about 1:23 a.m. on Santa Margarita Drive in Fallbrook and that battalion chief Samuel Craig and deputy chief Robbie Ford coordinated firefighting resources during critical Santa Ana wind conditions. The proclamation said incident command responsibility that night covered "over 1,100,000 residents occupying 1,400 square miles" across North San Diego County.

North County Fire Chief Keith McReynolds described the event to the council, saying the department faced multiple simultaneous vegetation fires in a 90-minute span and called for automatic aid. McReynolds said Vista Fire personnel under the leadership of Craig and Ford located the Riverview Fire with assistance from a sheriff helicopter and "They kept that fire to only 1 acre." He added that the response "saved hundreds of homes that night."

McReynolds presented challenge coins as tokens of appreciation and thanked Vista officials and fire officers for their partnership. The council's formal action at the meeting was to issue the proclamation commending the two officers and recognizing the broader firefighting response.

The recognition highlighted coordination across North Zone resources and noted that Cal Fire and other regional resources were committed to concurrent incidents that evening. The proclamation and remarks emphasized that no injuries were reported and that no inhabitable homes were lost in the Riverview Fire.