A 105-acre fire burning near Pacheco Pass Highway and Bloomfield
Avenue is nearly contained, Cal Fire Captain Tom Walker said.
A 105-acre fire burning near Pacheco Pass Highway and Bloomfield Avenue is nearly contained, Cal Fire Captain Tom Walker said.
Firefighters had the blaze, which is not threatening any structures and is primarily fueled by low grasses in an agricultural area, 95 percent contained as of 4:45 p.m., Walker said. However, he expected crews to quickly contain the fire and then stay on scene extinguishing any small flames or embers.
Firefighters did not know what started the fire, but did not suspect that it was purposefully set, Walker said.
“We have not received any information as to a possible cause,” he said.
The blaze started on the western face of the hills that border Gilroy to the east, said Incident Commander Ken McGeever. He believed the burned land to be a private ranch, he said.
The blackened grasses extended all the way to the barbed wire running along Pacheco Pass Highway and up and over the rolling hills. The highway was completely shut down for about an hour just after the fire broke out so that engines could move into place, McGeever said. California Highway Patrol then opened up one lane for the heavy, rush hour traffic before allowing both lanes of traffic to move as usual around 5 p.m.
When McGeever, who is stationed off of No Name Uno, arrived at the fire, the wind was pushing the fire up and over the hill.
“There was a lot of smoke,” he said. “You could see the column in the air all the way from No Name Uno. These are very dry conditions.”
The fire, which was reported about 2:45 p.m., was quickly tackled thanks to “the close proximity of the Hollister air attack base and our resources,” Walker said.
South Santa Clara County Fire and the Gilroy Fire Department helped fight the blaze. In total, the three agencies used two air tankers, two helicopters, two dozers and 17 engines.
View Pacheco Pass fire in a larger map
