Spring Break
Hundreds evacuated as wildfire destroys home, threatens others in Calif. mountains
Joe Rodriguez And Paul Rogers - San Jose Mercury NewsIssue date: 10/22/09 Section: Real News
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A wind-whipped fire that broke out early Sunday morning burned 600 acres west of Mount Madonna in Santa Cruz County, forcing the evacuation of up to 100 households.
By Sunday evening, the fire - near the same location as last year's Summit Fire, which burned more than 4,200 acres - had destroyed one mobile home and two outbuildings, said Jim Crawford, a Cal Fire battalion chief. And the blaze was threatening 160 homes and other structures.
The winds reached nearly 40 mph after the fire started about 3 a.m. "It was hard enough to stand up, let alone fight a fire," Crawford said. "It was pretty incredible."
By early Sunday night, the fire was 20 percent contained.
The area burning is the Maymens Flat area, near Highland Way, where the devastating Summit Fire began in May 2008. Throughout the day, nine air tankers and five helicopters dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze.
More than 930 firefighters battled the fire, which was spreading west in steep canyons south of Summit Road. They had 102 fire engines and 12 bulldozers. Another 1,000 firefighters were expected to arrive by this morning.
The cause of the blaze, dubbed the Loma Fire, has not been determined.
But Crawford said one area where the investigation will focus is the activity of inmate crews from the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp who had been working as recently as Friday in the area.
The work, which has taken place since the 1980s, involves clearing fuel breaks, maintaining trails and roads, and sometimes burning piles of debris on the Santa Clara County side of Summit Road as part of upkeep of the Llagas-Uvas watershed, Crawford said. He said he did not know if the crews had been burning debris recently or if they had caused the fire.
The crews are funded by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which provides about $100,000 a year to Cal Fire to contract out watershed maintenance, said district spokeswoman Susan Siravo. The purpose is to reduce fire risk and erosion because water from the area ultimately ends up in Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs, providing drinking water for Silicon Valley residents, Siravo said,.
By Sunday evening, the fire - near the same location as last year's Summit Fire, which burned more than 4,200 acres - had destroyed one mobile home and two outbuildings, said Jim Crawford, a Cal Fire battalion chief. And the blaze was threatening 160 homes and other structures.
The winds reached nearly 40 mph after the fire started about 3 a.m. "It was hard enough to stand up, let alone fight a fire," Crawford said. "It was pretty incredible."
By early Sunday night, the fire was 20 percent contained.
The area burning is the Maymens Flat area, near Highland Way, where the devastating Summit Fire began in May 2008. Throughout the day, nine air tankers and five helicopters dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze.
More than 930 firefighters battled the fire, which was spreading west in steep canyons south of Summit Road. They had 102 fire engines and 12 bulldozers. Another 1,000 firefighters were expected to arrive by this morning.
The cause of the blaze, dubbed the Loma Fire, has not been determined.
But Crawford said one area where the investigation will focus is the activity of inmate crews from the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp who had been working as recently as Friday in the area.
The work, which has taken place since the 1980s, involves clearing fuel breaks, maintaining trails and roads, and sometimes burning piles of debris on the Santa Clara County side of Summit Road as part of upkeep of the Llagas-Uvas watershed, Crawford said. He said he did not know if the crews had been burning debris recently or if they had caused the fire.
The crews are funded by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which provides about $100,000 a year to Cal Fire to contract out watershed maintenance, said district spokeswoman Susan Siravo. The purpose is to reduce fire risk and erosion because water from the area ultimately ends up in Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs, providing drinking water for Silicon Valley residents, Siravo said,.
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