Early morning apartment fire injures OB resident Ocean Beach firefighters helped douse an apartment blaze that was caused by a cigarette at about 4:37 a.m. Jan. 6 along the 4300 block of Mentone Street, according to San Diego Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque. Firefighters rescued a woman found partially beneath a bed in the apartment. Rescue teams transported her to UCSD Medical Center where they treated her for smoke inhalation, Luque said. “Crews … knocked down the fire and did their searches on their hands and knees crawling around and they couldn’t see. It was like being blind in there. It was so smoky and dark,” he said. The fire caused about $50,000 damage to the apartment. About four engines, two trucks and 30 firefighters put out the fire before it could cause spread to the surrounding units, Luque said. Cigarettes are one of the leading causes of house fires year-round, he said. Seasonally, cooking fires and candles cause many fires during the winter and holiday seasons. Cigarettes and smoking materials, however, remain a consistent and leading cause. City starts Christmas tree recycling program The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department has begun accepting Christmas trees at a number of drop-off locations around the city. Residents can drop off trees through Jan. 23, at the following coastal locations: • Kate Sessions Park, 5077 Soledad Road • Mission Bay, SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway • Ocean Beach, Robb Field, 2525 Bacon St. • University City, Swanson Pool, 3585 Governor Drive Tree stands, lights, ornaments and all decorations should be removed before dropping off. Trees sprayed with fake snow, known as flock trees, will also be accepted. The city is also reminding residents not to leave any other trash or items to be recycled at these locations because it will not be removed. Residents with curbside yard waste collection can also leave their trees by the curb for pickup. The city began the tree recycling program 35 years ago to help reduce the amount of organic material being dumped in the Miramar Landfill. Now the trees, along with other yard waste such as grass clippings, are either turned into compost, mulch or wood chippings used for a variety of programs. For additional information call (858) 694-7000 or visit www.sandiego.gov/environmentalservices. E-waste recycling effort planned at Liberty Station The High Tech Middle Media Arts Parent Association will host an e-waste recycling drive on Saturday, Jan. 10 to help San Diegans reduce clutter and recycle sensitive materials in an eco-friendly manner. Organizers said that after the holidays and the switchover to digital TV, many electronic items could be destined for the curb and more landfill volume. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the High Tech High School campus, 2230 Truxtun Road. Acceptable items include computers, monitors, fax machines, cameras, keyboards, televisions, printers, copiers, toner cartridges, video game consoles, laptops, Internet devices, camcorders, mice, cell phones, stereo systems and speakers and other items. For more information, call (310) 734-6700 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]. Student veterans at university duly noted The University of San Diego, California (UCSD), 9500 Gilman Drive, recently made the decision to offer more than 200 student veterans who have actively served in the military new opportunities. “More and more veterans are returning from duty and actively enrolling in colleges and universities throughout the country,” said Jed Schlueter, from the university’s Transfer Student Services. “As a result, Mae Brown, assistant vice chancellor for Admissions and Enrollment Services, convened a work group in 2007 to identify areas on how we can better serve this very important student population, and here at UCSD, we’re seeing some of the best and brightest.” During the month of November, UCSD hosted its ninth annual Veterans Recognition Ceremony, which honored veterans and men and women who are presently serving in the Armed Forces. “We hope to make that transition to UCSD, for all student veterans and military service members, a smooth one,” Schlueter said. “We want these students to be able to utilize the benefits they have worked so hard to earn, and we want them to be successful here.” For more information, visit www.ucsd.edu. In related news, the UC San Diego Veterans Association has dedicated a memorial plaque and bench to Christopher Glenn Mueller and all UCSD veterans. A UCSD alumnus, Navy SEAL and CIA agent, Mueller was killed during an ambush in Afghanistan in 2003. The UC San Diego Memorial was established by friends and family to honor Mueller and other veterans on campus. Caretaker allegedly takes senior’s cash and gold Police believe a man suspected of elder abuse fled the continent after robbing a 92-year-old Pacific Beach resident whose identity is being protected. The suspect, 34-year-old Raymond George Wilkins, allegedly offered to work for the woman as a temporary caretaker before stealing cash and gold from the victim. In the first weeks of October, Wilkins reportedly stole $13,000 in cash and an unidentified amount of Krugerrand gold coins from the victim, according to San Diego Police Department spokeswoman Mònica Muñoz. Wilkins may have fled to Oahu, Hawaii, she said. Wilkins likes to surf and was known to frequent Pacific Beach, according to a Crime Stoppers report. Police are asking anyone with information about Wilkins call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.