MORGAN HILL
– There was a close call Monday afternoon when an out-of-control
grass fire briefly threatened to turn the east hills into another
Croy Fire.
MORGAN HILL – There was a close call Monday afternoon when an out-of-control grass fire briefly threatened to turn the east hills into another Croy Fire.
Dubbed the Sycamore Fire, the blaze burned 85 acres of hillside between the face of Anderson Dam north to the edge of visible vegetation. It reportedly started just after 1 p.m. with a spark near a barn at the James Boys Ranch off Malaguerra Road and Sycamore Avenue northeast of Morgan Hill.
The cause of the fire, which did not damage any structures by theatened one for a time, officially is still under investigation, said Pam Rhoten, information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“They were very cognizant of possible threats to other properties,” Rhoten said.
The Sycamore Fire was contained at midnight, Rhoten said. Firefighters were on the line overnight, stamping out hot spots and keeping an eye on potential flare-ups.
The fire was fought primarily by air since the terrain was steep and rugged.
Rhoten said firefighters from Santa Clara County Fire Department, Gilroy Fire Department, CDF and San Jose Fire Department converged on the scene. The agencies all have mutual-aid compacts to help each other when needed.
Rhoten said at one point, the firefighting force included three helicopters with “Bambi buckets” – picking up water from the reservoir and dumping it on the fire – four air tankers spraying fire retardant, one air attack plane (containing a command officer supervising from the air), 37 engines, three bulldozers and eight hand crews of approximately 15 members each.
“They wanted to keep the fire from getting into Holiday Lake Estates,” Rhoten said.
The hillside housing development of expensive homes lies south and east of the fire and downwind at times. It is connected by ravines and roads to the Jackson Oaks development.
The Sycamore Fire burned both in Morgan Hill and San Jose and caused about 36 youths to be evacuated from the county Juvenile Probation Department-operated Harold Holden Ranch. No one from the adjacent James Boys Ranch was evacuated.
The smoke from the fire quickly covered the entire hillside far south of the dam. A large plume throughout the southern Santa Clara Valley could be seen from miles away.
Mostly the smoke was fairly light in color, which is normal with vegetation fires. Occasionally, however, the smoke turned almost black. Normally black smoke means a structure is burning. With the Sycamore Fire, firefighters said, the smoke was black when it engulfed pine trees, which contain pitch.
Anderson Lake and reservoir provided water and the Holden Ranch lended access roads, adding a bit of luck to the firefighting effort.
Rhoten confirmed two injuries to firefighters. They suffered leg and elbow injuries.
The Morgan Hill Police Department was at the scene, providing traffic enforcement, said Cpl. Jerry Neumayer.
“It went very smoothly,” Neumayer said about the firefighting effort. “There was a very quick response – they were there within minutes.”
Police allowed residents through to their homes but kept onlookers away; several people had gathered off Cochrane and Peet roads to watch the aircraft battle the fire.
Cochrane and Malaguerra is an area of many new and expensive houses located just across the street from the wooded area and the park.
Picknickers at Anderson Lake Park were evacuated and the park turned into a staging area for firefighters.
