Wildfire forces evacuations, imperils homes
Blaze around Loma Prieta sends 100-foot flames into the air, consumes 850 acres
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS — A wildfire that sent 100-foot flames into the air burned at least 850 acres and threatened hundreds of homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains around Loma Prieta on Monday afternoon, forcing evacuations as Cal Fire and other local agencies rushed to contain it.
More than 200 firefighters battled stifling 100-degree temperatures, heavy vegetation and steep terrain in their efforts
to corral the fire, which was just 5 percent contained as of 10:30 p.m. After stating early on that the southeast-moving blaze had the potential to burn 1,000 acres, firefighters expected the work to become more challenging as night fell.
“After it gets dark it will further limit firefighters because it’s difficult to fight in unfamiliar terrain at night,” said Capt. Christopher Salcido of the San Jose Fire Department, one of the array of agencies assisting Cal Fire.
The Loma fire, visible for miles both in the South Bay and the Santa Cruz region, was reported at 2:42 p.m. on Loma Chiquita Road near Loma Prieta Road on the southern edge of Santa Clara County almost exactly between Highway 17 and Highway 101. At least one structure was destroyed, and as many as 300 homes were threatened and a corresponding number of evacuations were ordered.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire was not immediately released by authorities.
Evacuee and resident Doreenann Bellamy said the high temperatures and area vegetation created a perfect environment for a wildfire.
“We have bay trees, manzanita, the really oily fire fuelers,” Bellamy said, as she carried her dog and crates of photo albums in her pickup truck while her husband rode alongside in his 1969 Ford Mustang.
Also among her essentials? A cache of firearms.
“Everyone on the mountain has guns, and you’ve got to grab your guns first,” she said.
Bellamy was among dozens of residents affected by a wide-reaching evacuation order for homes from the Loma Prieta peak along all 10 miles of Casa Loma Road leading to Uvas Road, and all of Summit Road from the peak to Uvas Road and areas south of that route.
Evacuations were also occurring on Mt. Bache Road and Highland Way. Evacuation centers have been set up at Soquel High School, Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church, the Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos, and residents in the affected area set up a fire-assistance page online.
A “Reverse 911” — automated phone alerts for homes — was also deployed to warn area residents, and Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies were going door to door calling out evacuation orders on loudspeakers and clearing each home individually.
At the main firefighter staging area at Rancho Cañada del Oro — along Casa Loma Road about 2 miles west of Uvas Road in Morgan Hill — dozens of residents from the fire zone gathered to assess their losses, but also value what they preserved.
They came in riding or towing all-terrain vehicles and pulling horse trailers and carrying family pets, photo albums and other irreplaceables.
Danielle Mays, who lives a mile from the fire’s origin, said she moved there just over a month ago. She anxiously waited for a neighbor to get to the staging area with her Boston terrier Layla and her cat Callie.
“That’s it; that’s what matters,” Mays said. “I have fire insurance for the rest.”
Resident Jennifer Swifteagle said she could hear the booming evacuation orders while driving to the staging area.
“They were saying, ‘Evacuate the area, evacuate your homes.’ They didn’t have to say why. Everyone could see and smell it,” Swifteagle said.
She described a man arriving at the staging area from the mountain in tears after apparently losing his home but preserving what was most precious to him.
“He said he was just glad he got himself and his kids out with their lives,” Swifteagle said. “It was sad.”
Multiple air tankers and helicopter units from fire and police agencies throughout the area have been called to the site. The San Jose Fire Department sent a half-dozen engines and water tenders to the firefighting effort, and the California Highway Patrol has also contributed personnel.
The Loma fire broke out as temperatures in the area reached 100 degrees and authorities were already gauging fire risks for the rest of the week. In San Jose, officials closed Alum Rock Park Tuesday, citing the fire danger from the heat.
That same heat is largely responsible for spot fires throughout the region: San Jose firefighters had just finished knocking down a grass fire that broke out along Interstate 280 and 10th Street in downtown San Jose when they were summoned to help with the Loma fire.
As the day waned, cars and trucks came down the mountain carrying a menagerie of animals, some including baby goats, prized chickens and numerous horse trailers.
Renee and Alan Merrick stuffed the back of an SUV with cages full of nine pairs of breeding parrots. Both bore beak wounds on their hands.
“Eight years ago our house burned down in an electrical fire,” said Renee Merrick. “We lost 13 parrots. I couldn’t believe that we’re reliving it again.”
Alan said he could see the flames less than a mile away through the trees.
“It was coming,” he said. “It was time to go.”