The Loop

Carlsbad fire forces golf equipment companies to evacuate

May 14, 2014

A fast-moving fire in Carlsbad, Calif., fueled by temperatures approaching 100 degrees, single-digit humidity and Santa Ana winds gusting to 35 miles per hour caused the headquarters of Callaway Golf, TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, Titleist and Cobra-Puma Golf to evacuate.

All three companies have large numbers of employees who live in the Carlsbad area, where at least 30 houses were reported burning.

Chad Coleman, social media director for Callaway Golf, posted on Twitter a video from company headquarters, while Grant Knudson of Puma Golf posted a photo from Cobra-Puma headquarters.

The fire was moving toward the Aviara neighborhood of Carlsbad, near Aviara Golf Club, while to the east it was skirting the Champions Course at La Costa Resort.

Six wildfires were burning in San Diego County on Wednesday, including one that began on Tuesday near the Santaluz Club in San Diego and forced evacuation of neighborhoods there and at and around Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and other areas of Rancho Santa Fe.

Phil Mickelson and his family live in Rancho Santa Fe, but were not forced to evacuate. In 2007, when San Diego County experienced a series of wild fires, Mickelson and family did have to evacuate.