WATSONVILLE — Firefighters battling several small vegetation fires Monday afternoon contained the blazes to about 2 acres near the northbound Buena Vista Drive exit of Highway 1.
A large gray-black plume of smoke was visible on the horizon as grass, brush and eucalyptus trees caught fire, according to Cal Fire CZU spokesperson Cecile Juliette.
By shortly after 2 p.m., forward progress on the so-called Buena Fires had been halted and two additional nearby fires were contained, Juliette said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Monday afternoon.
Cal Fire CZU and Central Fire District were initial responders to the fires around 1 p.m. Authorities on the scene shortly before 1:30 p.m. reported the fire had spread at one location to about 1 to 2 acres with a slow to moderate rate of spread and was surrounded by the highway. At the time, fire authorities estimated the spread could reach up to 5 acres. At least two structures initially were threatened by the fire. One firefighter suffered a minor injury to his hand from barbed wire. Ultimately, a detached garage was consumed by the fire, along with damages to a residential deck and fencing, Juliette said.
Helicopters and an air tanker, in addition to other fire ground apparatus, were called in to assist in fighting the fire. Additional responding agencies included San Mateo County Fire, Cal Fire BEU air attack, Cal Fire CSU’s Alma Helitack station and others, Juliette said.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was called in to issue an evacuation order for one residence and warnings for “a small, localized area as this fire is only impacting a small area,” according to the agency’s social media accounts and Juliette. Evacuees were sent to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
The California Highway Patrol initially ordered the closure of northbound Highway 1 and Airport Boulevard’s Highway 1 onramp around 1:45 p.m. By around 3 p.m., two out of three northbound Highway 1 lanes had reopened, as well as highway onramps.