Wildfire: Santa Cruz Mountains

Hundreds evacuated as wildfire destroys home, threatens 100 others in Santa Cruz Mountains
By Joe Rodriguez

San Jose Mercury News

Posted: 10/25/2009 09:40:28 AM PDT
Updated: 10/25/2009 02:38:48 PM PDT

A wind-whipped fire that broke out early this morning has burned 800 acres west of Mt. Madonna in Santa Cruz County, forcing the evacuation of up to 100 households in the area.

The fire has already destroyed one home and two outbuildings, said Jim Crawford, a Cal Fire battalion chief at the emergency command center set up at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds on Hecker Pass Road.

The area burning is the Maymen's Flat area, where last year's devastating Summit fire began. An armada of Cal Fire aircraft is dropping fire retardant and water on the blaze.

More than 800 firefighters are battling the fire, now spreading west and away from Mt. Madonna. Another 1,000 firefighters are expected to arrive to battle the blaze by Monday morning.

Crawford said the winds got up to 40 mph after the fire broke out. "It was hard enough to stand up, let alone fight a fire,'' he said. "It was pretty incredible.''

And the conditions today were not expected to be favorable. The fire is only 5 percent contained, and the humidity is down to single digits, Crawford said. Winds are expected to be 5 to 15 mph, with gusts up 35 mph.

Colleen Baxter, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, said the high winds during the morning grounded a tanker plane, but Cal Fire resumed dropping water before noon. About a dozen other aircraft and 100 fire engines have been brought in, according to Cal Fire.

County sheriff's deputies have issued a mandatory evacuation for people

living or working near Ormsby Cutoff and Highland Way.
Baxter said firefighters have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters are trying to use the burned-out area of the May 2008 Summit fire as a buffer, Crawford said.

Road closures include Loma Prieta, Mt. Madonna, Spanish Ranch, Ormsby North, Highland Way and Soquel San Jose Road at Summit Road.

An evacuation center has been set up at Gilroy's Mount Madonna High School, 8750 Hirasaki Court, Crawford said.

Diane Zulliger, who has lived in the mountains for 33 years with her husband, two cats and a dog, said they were alerted to the fire by a neighbor at 4 a.m. They had just returned home from a nine-day cruise two hours earlier.

"It's not something you want to come home to," she said.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_13639221