Posted on 05/22/2008 8:11:29 AM PDT by EggsAckley
Firefighters are evacuating residents near a wildfire that is burning out of control this morning in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire has burned about 500 acres.
Sheriff's deputies from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties are in the process of evacuating residents living in a three-mile stretch near Mount Madonna Road, according to Chris Morgan, a fire prevention specialist. Morgan estimates there are at least 20 homes in the are being threatened by the fire.
"Our main priority is evacuations, getting people out safely," Morgan said. "Then we can start working the perimeter of the fire."
(Excerpt) Read more at santacruzsentinel.com ...
*ping*
I can see the mountain from my office window ... lot of smoke
watching local coverage, winds are gonna be a’blowin’ for a day or two more.. this one started about 530 am, sounds like a lot of resources are headed there to stomp it out quick,, It’s all south of Hwy 17 or so it looks at this point.
Moving pretty fast.
Oh yea, driving to Modesto yesterday there were grass fires all around the 120- 99 interchange.
We are going to have one heck of a fire season this year.
It’s just to the North of the word Santa in Santa Cruz on your map,,
Yes, that’s about where Mt. Madonna Road is.
From what I’m hearing it’s just about on the 152 on the map. Mount Madonna area. Seems to be moving south.
Wildfire Burns Out Of Control In Santa Cruz Mountains
POSTED: 6:23 am PDT May 22, 2008
UPDATED: 8:19 am PDT May 22, 2008
http://www.nbc11.com/news/16361285/detail.html
At least 500 acres have burned near Mount Madonna County Park about 10 miles west of Gilroy.
The fire started at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday off Summit Road near Loma Prieta Road in the Felton area of the Santa Cruz mountains.
The fire is burning about seven miles east of Highway 17.
CalFire crews are at the scene and are dispatching air support to the area, NBC11 reported. As of 7:20 a.m. air tankers had not arrived.
Several homes and ranches are scattered throughout the mountainous area. Chopper11 showed at least one structure destroyed by the flames.
Chopper11 shows flames burning out of control and smoke spreading for several miles.
Winds of at least 15 to 20 miles an hour are making the fire harder to fight.
Humidity in the area is 50 percent and dropping.
There are reports that the fire started at a home on Ornsby Cutoff Trail. The home is a five acre property that was for sale for $1,000,050.
Not too far from the ‘89 quake epicenter, no?
My son is on a camping trip at Happy Valley, as best I can tell that is about 7-10 miles from the fire; can you verify that?
Thanks
There have been a bunch of pot farms run by Mexican drug cartels in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They are notorious with their carelessness in campfires, candles, etc. Not saying this fire is caused by such, but it’s happened before and it’s going to happen again until the feds decide it is their problem.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/28/18292223.php
“”They opened fire on us before we identified ourselves or (they) knew we were law enforcement,” the agent said. “We could have easily been people that were hikers.”
http://www.hempevolution.org/media/san_jose_mercury_news/sjmn050813.htm
“Los Gatos, CA Aug 13, 2005 — The farm that stretched across four ridge tops in the Santa Cruz Mountains contained perhaps a dozen gardens. Along with thousands of marijuana plants, state agents and sheriff’s deputies found fertilizer, pesticide, spring-loaded rat traps, 6- by 8-foot water pits lined with plastic, 50-pound bags of topsoil, bags of rice and beans, and, of course, human waste.
The fabulous climate and wide open spaces that lure millions of visitors to California’s wilderness every year are drawing marijuana growers, too. And authorities say Mexican drug cartels have carved out farms even in some of the Bay Area’s most pristine parks”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/06/state/n054501D40.DTL&tsp=1
“The Big Basin State Park site is the same spot where a large marijuana grow was found three years ago.
Carney says most of the marijuana-growing operations his team uproots are controlled by Mexican drug cartels who pay caretakers to watch the crops.”
not far at all, Loma Prieta is smack dab in the middle of this it seems.
still looking for a good graphic of the fires, looks like the winds have blown up a string of fires, not good.
Got it, thanks guys. None of the stories so far indicate the fire incident’s name..
This LAT link has a one-minute video that shows footage. In it you can see the winds whippin’ in very tall timber. Looks scary.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-santacruz23-2008may23,0,5399299.story
“moving south” means toward a city? But that must be several miles of rugged terrain..?
it has a lot of ridges to hop but it could eventually burn to morgan hill and gilroy and Watsonville, winds are gusty, have been for over a day and more to come..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.