A dangerous brush fire that charred 27 acres and threatened
homes, was quickly contained Thursday afternoon, according to
authorities, but not before injuring one firefighter.
A dangerous brush fire that charred 27 acres and threatened homes, was quickly contained Thursday afternoon, according to authorities, but not before injuring one firefighter.
The fire broke out at the base of a grassy hill near Main Avenue and Liberata Drive in northeast Morgan Hill about 4:30 p.m. The thick smoke could be seen from the valley floor as more than 150 firefighters battled the blaze that briefly threatened structures, but because of a “good containment line around the structures” the properties survived intact, said Capt. Mary Gutierrez, spokeswoman for San Jose Fire Department. It did damage one storage trailer and was contained at 7:17 p.m. when the majority of crews were released. One crew remained over night to ensure there were no flareups and a team is on hand today, chopping down burned trees to douse embers.
The injured firefighters was brought off the fire suffering from extreme heat exhaustion. He was taken to a local hospital, treated and released and is back at work today, Gutierrez said.
There were no evacuations, but officials ordered a “shelter-in-place to threatened residents. The number of residents was not immediately known.
Investigators are on the scene trying to determine the cause, Gutierrez added.
The quick reaction by multiple callers to 911 allowed firefighters to gather resources.
“Getting air support in quickly and dropping retardant helped save homes,” Gutierrez said.
Dan Legan, who with her husband are building a home at the end of Liberata Drive, called 911 shortly after the fire broke out just east of their home.
“I never thought it could spread that fast,” she said of the blaze that burned up a hill toward several homes northeast of their home.
Despite the fire, she said they’ll still move in and are expecting an electrical inspection Friday in anticipation of moving in shortly.
