SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The fires burning in Los Angeles are fueled by the Santa Ana winds, and as the winds are forecasted to continue to blow through San Diego County, some San Diegans are on edge. “It’s going to be a long recovery for Palisades and for Pasadena, Altadena area, and we’ve been through that in San Diego," San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Chris Babler said. The Cedar Fire in 2003 was also fueled by the Santa Ana winds. It burned 280,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,000 homes from Alpine, and killed two people. “It’s eerily similar to the 30 years I've been in the fire service and all the firefighters, we're texting, we're calling each other, we feel for the firefighters that are out there when you have embers flying at 50 mph at you, your eyes are just getting beat, your lungs are just, they are burning, the exposure to that smoke and just the stress of not being able to put people’s houses out or saving some houses and not saving others, it’s a very stressful feeling," Babler said. “I want to help I'm signing up for overtime, whatever I can do, I mean there's some firefighters that have already left in their private vehicles to go help, that’s just kind of the nature of the profession.” Fire stations across San Diego County have sent strike teams to Los Angeles to help battle the fires. “We wish that we could all go, but we need to protect San Diego," Babler added. Him and his crew are ready and pre-positioned in case of a fire in San Diego. “We are prepared down here, all the fire stations are fully staffed, we have 10 engines that are identified as strike team engines, they are ready to go," Babler said. Alpine residents are dealing with the gusty Santa Ana wind conditions as well, something they also felt through the Cedar Fire in 2003. “This is scary to go through these winds," Paula Fitzpatrick said. “It’s better to be prepared and not need it.” “The people that were here during the Cedar Dire that are still here now are definitely on edge, they’ve seen how fast the fire can move and the devastation it can cause," Alpine Fire Captain Patrick Dotson said. Prepare a bag so you are ready to go at a moment's notice. Fuel up your cars, reverse park into your driveway so you can leave quickly. Subscribe to Alert San Diego, to get a reverse 911 call when you need to be alerted, or evacuate. Babler said other apps that are useful to watch the spread of fires are: Watch Duty and Pulse Point.