After spending Friday afternoon extinguishing a fire that consumed about 50 acres of vegetation in west Morgan Hill, crews will spend the night “mopping up” the area and making sure all remaining hotspots are out, according to authorities.
The fire was reported about 1:50 p.m. Friday in the area of Casa Loma Road and Uvas Road, according to CalFire Battalion Chief Brandon Leitzke.
Within minutes, CalFire deployed two air attack craft, four air tankers and two helicopters – in addition to ground resources from nearby agencies – to combat the blaze, Leitzke said.
The fire is in San Jose’s jurisdiction, but CalFire, Morgan Hill Fire, and the South County Fire District offered resources to assist, Leitzke said. The fire was reported in the Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve.
As of 5 p.m., the fire was no longer spreading, Leitzke said. Firefighters were expected to remain at the site overnight to ensure all hotspots, which could reignite the surrounding area if left unattended, are extinguished.
“They’re not calling it ‘contained,’ but the spreading has stopped,” Leitzke said. “They want to be nice and sure it stays where it’s at.”
The fire only burned vegetation in the rural, sparsely populated area near Calero County Park, Leitzke said. At one point the fire was poised to threaten some nearby structures, but no damage was reported. There is now “no real threat” to any structures in the area of the fire.
The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and under investigation, Leitzke said.
Check back later for updates to this story.
