Fire crews continue to battle two major fires in South County, and authorities have issued an air quality advisory due to the smoke.
The Park Fire in Morgan Hill is under control with more than 340 acres burned so far, while the Crews Fire in Gilroy gained in size overnight and is 20 percent contained, according to authorities.
Smoke from the fires has prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue an air quality advisory for the South Bay area, which includes Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.
“Onshore winds are expected to be light and are likely to become stronger throughout the day,” reads the July 6 advisory on the BAAQMD website. “Satellite imagery shows that smoke is being transported southeast of the Santa Clara Valley region. Currently, impacts include smoky skies, smell of smoke and localized elevated particle pollution.”
Residents are advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed, if possible, until the smoke levels subside, reads the advisory.
The Crews Fire started about 3pm July 5 off Crews Road near Oak Spring Circle, northeast of Gilroy. As of about 10:45am July 6, the Crews Fire had burned 2,000 acres of vegetation and was 20 percent contained, according to a post on the Morgan Hill Police Department Facebook page.
Evacuations remain in effect for the Crews Fire.
The CalFire Santa Clara Unit gave a briefing to local authorities about both fires at the MHPD’s Emergency Operations Center on Vineyard Boulevard.
The Park Fire east of Morgan Hill is 80 percent contained, with 343 acres of vegetation burned as of 10:45am July 6, according to authorities. CalFire said Sunday afternoon that the fire had stopped spreading at that time, and authorities don’t expect the blaze to grow larger.
The Park Fire is located in the area of Anderson Reservoir. The blaze was initially reported 11pm July 4, according to CalFire. No residences have been damaged but several outbuildings were burned.
Check back later for more updates about the fires.
