*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.
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.
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.”
I’m at Moffett Field. Had a good view of it on my morning jog. There’s a helicopter outfit here that does water drops, but I haven’t seen any activity from them. The Collings Foundation B-24 and B-17 are out for the mornings flights; I’ll bet they have a good view.
Doesn’t look like it’s coming your way.
I think your Elephants will be safe
Do you know about this website?
select santa cruz county from the upper left corner.
click on the speaker icon under fire_red and you can listen to the scanner.