Raging Calif. wildfire consumes houses, sends residents fleeing
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Calif. wildfire consumes houses, sends residents fleeing*
The mountain wildfire burning out of control south of San Jose has
destroyed a dozen houses, routed residents from 320 homes and consumed
more than 3,000 acres of forest and chapparal, officials and news
outlets report.
Three schools also have been closed and 200 students evacuated from a
summer camp. No one has been reported injured. About 140 horses have
been evacuated to the county fairgrounds.
Fanned by 40-to-50 mph gusts, the so-called Summit Fire is burning about
12 miles north of Santa Cruz and 15 miles south of the San Jose, near
Loma Prieta, the epicenter of the region's 1989 earthquake. For now, it
is headed southwest toward Corratlitos in Santa Cruz County.
The blaze was reported at 5:15 a.m. PT in an area of the Santa Cruz
Mountains between Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. The range stands
between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, and extends south to
Monterey Bay. If you've visited Northern California, you've been these
mountains if you've ever drive along Skyline Boulevard (State Route 35)
or Highway 17.
The Mercury News reports that "at least 20 homes" have been destroyed,
while the San Francisco Chronicle writes that flames have consumed "at
least 10 structures including several homes," adding that at this point
it's not known how many houses burned. It also reports that 55
structures are threatened.
The cause has not been determined.
In Southern California, hundreds of residents living in fire-scarred
canyons in Orange County were ordered from their homes after downpours
triggered mudslides. No injuries were reported. The Los Angeles Times
has more on the region's wild weather, which has included hail and snow.
Flash-flood warnings are in effect.