Local News

CORRALITOS (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Fire investigators found the location Friday where a fast-moving wildfire began that chewed through centuries-old redwoods and pushed hundreds out of their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Cal Fire spokesman George Hoyt said the origin of the 3,400-acre Summit Fire was traced to an area where Summit Road becomes Loma Prieta Avenue at the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz counties border.

"That's the area. How it started, that's still under investigation," Hoyt said. However, sources close to the investigation told CBS 5 it was believed that smoldering brush from a legally permitted burn was reponsible for starting the blaze.

Meantime, calmer winds and heavy fog brought some much-needed relief Friday to firefighters working to rein in the wildfire which destroyed 30 structures so far, including 17 homes.

The blaze, which was first reported at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, was 25 percent contained by Friday night and no injuries had occured.

The blaze was still growing, but not significantly, said Joe Waterman, a Cal Fire incident commander.

"We have a lot of forces mobilized, and we are optimistic we'll be able to hold it," Waterman said.

But as the marine layer lifted and wind gusts picked up later in the day, crews at times struggled to maintain the fire lines.

Some 500 residences and 20 businesses remained threatened Friday, as firefighters worked to build a 9-mile line around the blaze. Officials expected the containment effort to continue through the weekend.

"It's going to take a little time to build 9 miles of line with manual labor," said Dave Shew, another Cal Fire spokesman. "It's going to be through the weekend."

About 2,000 residents were under evacuation orders —more than 450 of them mandatory— while 2,700 firefighters and a swarm of helicopters continued dousing the area.

The fire was burning in the mountain range that separates Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties, about 15 miles south of San Jose, and the rural area is dotted with homes.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Cruz County, allowing access to state funds. He attended a briefing at the Cal Fire base camp in Gilroy on Friday, greeting and thanking firefighters for their efforts.

Schwarzenegger used the opportunity to push a proposal to charge property owners in disaster-prone areas a surcharge on homeowners insurance policies that would help pay for emergency response. The fee would raise $100 million a year to pay for such things as firefighting manpower and equipment, he said.

"We are a place where we have to be ready for all kinds of disasters: fires, earthquakes, mudslides, all those kinds of things," Schwarzenegger said. "We need more manpower, we need more aircraft, we need to update the aircraft that is outdated."

The mostly milder Friday conditions were a stark change from Thursday, when winds gusting up to 50 mph frustrated efforts to fight the blaze. Officials had estimated the fire would grow to 10,000 acres before being contained.

Lighter winds and higher humidity in the area meant the blaze transitioned from a wind-driven fire to one moving along the slope of the western side of the Santa Cruz Mountains near the town of Corralitos.

Cal Fire spokesman Chris Morgan said the biggest challenge firefighters faced Friday was steep canyons and heavy brush.

"It was a complete difference from yesterday," Morgan said, referring to Thursday's wind gusts that fueled the blaze.

Fog that draped across the burn area lifted around 11 a.m. just as the winds began to increase, National Weather Service meteorologist Duane Dykema said.
 
The winds increased Friday afternoon to about 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph, but didn't come close to approaching Thursday's levels.

The wind direction sent the flames southeast on Thursday but turned them northeast toward the Pacific Ocean on Friday.

"That, of course, is a concern because that pushes the fire in a direction it hasn't been before," Dykema said. "Firefighters definitely have to keep an eye out for the fire moving in a different direction."

Winds were expected to taper off late Friday night and remain calm through the weekend, according to Dykema.

The Friday morning fog had prevented Cal Fire from deploying its fixed-wing aircraft. Instead, the agency used approximately 11 helicopters to drop water. The helicopters were stationed at South County Airport in Morgan Hill where they collected the water from ponds and reservoirs.

According to the weather service, there was a 20 percent chance of rain Saturday. But on Friay afternoon, clouds hung over the tiny town of Corralitos and the air was dry as the wind brought whiffs of acrid smoke every few minutes.

The conditions created unhealthy air, according to the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. Residents in surrounding areas were warned to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities and stay indoors as much as possible.

"People really need to pay attention to the air quality as they consider spending time outdoors this weekend, especially when it comes to doing any physical activity," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Marty Fenstershieb said. "If you can see or smell smoke in the air you may want to hold off biking, running or other strenuous physical activity until the air clears."

Residents with respiratory problems as well as young children and the elderly should be especially cautious, and doors and windows should be kept closed. Health officials also warned that homegrown produce should be thoroughly washed before consumption.

Officials said residents with health concerns and questions could call (831) 454-4000 during work hours and the Emergency Operations Center at (831) 458-7185 over the weekend.

Displaced residents, domestic pets and livestock continued to seek shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, located at 2601 E. Lake Avenue in Watsonville. The facility sheltered 24 people on Thursday night and around 300 meals were served to evacuees.

American Red Cross shelter manager Bob Carlton said the fairgrounds had the capacity to shelter up to 1,000 people.

"This is the primary sheltering facility for the county," Carlton said of the fairgrounds. "People can shelter here as long as they need to."

One girl whose family was evacuated from their home celebrated her eighth birthday Friday at the shelter.

Maya Michelle Harvey, who lives near Mount Madonna County Park, had donuts for breakfast, and was serenaded by a dozen Red Cross workers in celebration of her big day.

Her grandmother Jane Harvey said the family was evacuated around 3 p.m. Thursday, and was not sure whether their home was still standing.

"We keep seeing smoke in the area where the home is, but we don't know what is going on up there," Harvey said.

Red Cross Public Support Director Lara Kershner said people seeking information about their loved ones affected by the fire can go to http://www.disastersafe.redcross.org. The Web site lists residents' names and where they are staying.

Some evacuated residents waited throughout the day Friday near the Corralitos Market and Sausage Company, located across the street from a fire blockade, hoping to get information about their property.

Retired fireman Ron Wohnoutka said he and others who live on Ormsby Cutoff, a residential street about 8 miles from Corralitos, left their homes around 6 a.m. Thursday thanks to the quick thinking of a neighbor who saw flames and alerted other residents.

"Mark Kraft is the hero of the neighborhood," Wohnoutka said. "He called and woke us up, we had to drive out through flames because the fire was jumping the road."

Residents were also worried because one house was robbed after its owners evacuated, resident Allan Christensen said.

"It's bad enough we have to worry about the fire, now we have to worry about robbers too," he added.

No one in the area was being allowed in to check on their homes, which was a source of frustration to residents.

Kathy Adams and Kenneth Rich learned from news photographers who had taken pictures of their home that their house, built by Adams' father, was lost. The couple saw the photos Friday afternoon at the market with the other evacuees.

"I feel a great sadness in my heart for everybody who is involved in this event," Rich said. "It's devastating."

There was no doubt the blaze left a trail of devastation. An unscathed bush of red roses was all that was left on the lot of one burned house with a sign in front that read "spoiled dogs live here."

The home overlooking Monterey Bay was surrounded by a charred landscape where power lines lay melted across skeletons of bushes and trees. The ground was covered with scorched vineyards and black earth, an occasional puff of smoke rising from it.

The flames ravaged tiny communities tucked into the rugged terrain, including Maymens Flat, where Chris Puett ran the Taj Meow animal sanctuary.

Puett wandered around his wooded property trying to contain his grief as he took stock of all he'd lost Friday.

"It's burnt to the ground," he said of the three-story building. "There was a pond, and the fish are all belly up. I'm just trying to round up the survivors."

Of the approximately 120 dogs, cats and birds he cared for mostly abandoned pets Puett said knows he's lost four dogs and 17 cats. But he won't know until all the survivors wander back, some nursing burnt paws, ears or whiskers.

"Pretty soon, their stomach is going to overrun their fear, and they'll come back in," he said. "I'm just going to rebuild, start back up as soon as I can, to give the ones who are still alive a place to come back to."

The cost of fighting the Summit Fire had reached an estimated $1.72 million as of Friday night and officials said there was still no estimated time for when residents would be able to return to their homes.
 
A community meeting was being organized by Cal Fire for Sunday afternoon in the Corralitos area in order to inform residents about returning home and other information.

Classes were also canceled again Friday for some school students. Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Loma Prieta School District were closed, according to the districts' Web sites.

(© 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.)