GILROY
– A wildfire sending huge columns of smoke into the sky burned
30 acres of private grassland a mile west of Casa De Fruta on
Highway 152 Sunday, leaving the area near the old Almaden Winery
charred from the blaze.
GILROY – A wildfire sending huge columns of smoke into the sky burned 30 acres of private grassland a mile west of Casa De Fruta on Highway 152 Sunday, leaving the area near the old Almaden Winery charred from the blaze.
No structures were lost in the blaze that sparked at 4:30 p.m. south of the Pacheco Pass Y where highways 152 and 156 meet, and nobody was injured by the time California Department of Forestry firefighters had the blaze under control at 10 p.m.
The CDF is still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
“It was a pretty hot fire,” said CDF Capt. Joe Gonzalez. “It put up a good column of smoke and raced with the wind for a while, but fortunately we were able to contain it pretty quick.”
At least 65 firefighters, 10 CDF engines, two hand crews, two air tankers and two helicopters helped control the blaze at 30 acres, according to Gonzalez.
Highways 152 nor 156 stayed open during the fire.
