Local News

BONNY DOON (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Fire officials predicted Friday that it would take more than a week to fully contain a raging wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains that prompted the evacuation of about 2,400 people in the communities of Swanton and Bonny Doon.

A state of emergency for Santa Cruz County was declared by California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who called it a step toward getting federal assistance for local governments and private property owners.

Garamendi signed the proclamation Friday afternoon at the Davenport Fire Station in Davenport, which was serving as the command post for more than 16 agencies fighting the Lockheed Fire. 

It started Wednesday night and as of Friday had blackened 4,200 acres or 6.4 square miles of remote wilderness and was only about 5 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The blaze, burning about 10 miles north of the coastal city of Santa Cruz, had damaged only two small "outbuildings" but was threatening more than 1,000 other structures, according to Cal Fire.

There were no reports of injuries related to the fire, whose cause is under investigation.

The Lockheed Fire was about three miles from the site of last June's Martin Fire, which burned 520 acres and destroyed 11 buildings in Bonny Doon, home to about 2,000 people and several wineries.

The area's rugged terrain and limited access were hampering the roughly 700 firefighters currently at the scene. About 300 more firefighters, from as far south as San Diego and as far north as Alturas, near the Oregon border, were expected to arrive at the fire site sometime Friday along with six helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft, officials said.

Cal Fire estimated that the blaze would not be completely contained until Aug. 23, according to Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson.

Windy conditions Friday posed a challenge to ground crews trying to prevent the fire from spreading.

"Winds are going to be a challenge today," Hutchinson said. "Our
concern is that it's going to continue to push the fire towards Bonny Doon." 

Smoke plumes extended over 50 miles from Santa Cruz to Monterey, but winds were blowing the smoke out toward the Pacific Ocean, said Richard Stedman, director of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District. Officials were monitoring air quality, but did not believe it had reached unhealthy levels.

For those evacuated, many approached firefighters Friday seeking information on their homes.

Bonny Doon residents Sophia and Fred Johnson were temporarily living in their RV. The couple returned to their home briefly to lock up and collect some valuables after learning their evacuation would stretch over a number of days.

"We just went back this morning it's clear blue sky up there but the wind is starting to blow up that way," Sophia Johnson said.

She and her husband took their two children to their grandmother's house and were monitoring the fire on television, the radio and their iPhone.

"The winds are not on our side and accessibility is not on our side," she said. "Already this fire is eight times the size of the Martin Fire, so I'm not feeling super optimistic actually."

A resident information line was set up by fire officials at (831) 335-0378.

Meantime, animal shelters in Santa Cruz County opened their doors to house pets and livestock threatened by the fire. Services could be requested by contacting the county's Animal Services unit at (831) 454-7303.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)