Firefighters have contained two separate fires that broke out
around 3:40 p.m. in north Gilroy this afternoon – at the
intersection of Kern and Vickery avenues and another in a levee
near Christopher High School on Day Road.
Firefighters have contained two separate fires that broke out around 3:40 p.m. in north Gilroy this afternoon – at the intersection of Kern and Vickery avenues and another in a levee near Christopher High School on Day Road.
The cause of both fires are under investigation, said CalFire Battalion Chief Jim Crawford.
The Kern Avenue fire was a partial structure and brushfire, estimated to cover around 5 acres, according to Phil King, Gilroy Fire Department division chief. The Kern Avenue fire was visible from as far away as Third Street, said a woman by phone who lives on the corner of Mantelli Drive and Kern Avenue.
King did not know if the Kern and CHS fires were related. He said the Kern fire started as a vegetation fire, then spread to the shed of a nearby house that may have been occupied.
According to dispatchers, burning at the levee began as a grassfire and did not threaten any structures.
A total of 14 engines, five chief officers and one water tender were dispatched to both fires, including a two planes from CalFire that were later called off, King said.
Units were dispatched from the Gilroy Fire Department, CalFire, the county fire department and Santa Clara CalFire, King said.
