Santa Cruz County Fires: Evacuations Ordered; 'Stay Vigilant'

Read Wednesday's latest update on the fires here.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — After battling fires across Santa Cruz County Tuesday, firefighters braced for winds to pick up again overnight and asked the public to remain vigilant.

Near hurricane-force winds were reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains early Tuesday and windy weather prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. outages across California. About 25,000 in Santa Cruz County lost power Tuesday.

Most of the fires were reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains; while another was reported north of Watsonville. The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit was busy battling a fifth fire in San Mateo County as well.

The fires crept slowly, Cal Fire said, but grew as the winds kicked up. The strong winds seen Tuesday morning had died down in the afternoon, but were forecast to pick up again come nightfall.

Fires and Evacuations

The Freedom Fire north of Watsonville was 20 percent contained and had burned 40 acres of timber as of 3:15 p.m., Cal Fire said. Residents of about 100 homes in the Bens Way, Nunes Road, Gillette Road, Halton Lane and Willow Heights areas have been ordered to evacuate. White Road at Freedom Boulevard and Larkin Valley Road was closed, the California Highway Patrol said.

White Road at Freedom and Larkin Valley is closed due to #nunesfire pic.twitter.com/NYB6C9TrP7
— CHP Santa Cruz (@CHPscrz) January 19, 2021

Evacuations were also underway for residents of about 20 Panther Ridge homes in the Panther Ridge Fire on Staph Road, east of state Highway 9 in Boulder Creek, which had burned 10 to 12 acres as of 3:15 p.m., officials said. The fire was 55 percent contained.

Also in Boulder Creek, the Empire Fire on Alba Road at Empire Grade Road had burned six acres in timber as of 3:15 p.m. No buildings were threatened, and no evacuations have been issued there, according to Cal Fire. There is no containment on the fire.

One of the two new wildfire starts in Santa Cruz County this morning visible on the Mt. Bielawski webcam (SW). #CaWx #CaFire pic.twitter.com/DQ0dzeBh9X
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 19, 2021

In nearby Ben Lomond, the Fanning Fire burned nearly 19 acres of timber on Fanning Grade Road, west of Highway 9, as of 3:15 p.m. The fire is 95 percent contained.

Another 20 acres of timber were burned in the now-contained China Grade Fire, which burned four miles northwest of Boulder Creek on China Grade Road and Foxglove Lane. No evacuations were issued.

Four more acres were burned in two vegetation fires dubbed the Bonny Complex fires, according to Cal Fire. No evacuations were ordered in the Bonny Complex fires, which were also contained Tuesday.

Santa Cruz County residents are urged to stay tuned to the county's ZoneHaven evacuation map for updates.

A temporary evacuation center has been established at Corralitos Community Church (26 Browns Valley Road, Corralitos) where displaced residents can receive refreshments, resources and shelter, if necessary.

"[Cal Fire CZU] responded to many more fires overnight, but most have been contained and controlled," the agency said Tuesday morning. "We have other smaller fires within the unit, but these ... are the top priority."

This is the second round of fires to tear through the Santa Cruz Mountains in recent months.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were sparked by lightning in August and killed one person, scorched more than 85,500 acres and destroyed nearly 1,500 buildings across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, though mountain communities in Santa Cruz County sustained most of the damage.

The CZU Lightning Complex fires were declared controlled only late last month.

The latest fires come as strong, gusty winds battered the Bay Area and Central Coast Tuesday, toppling trees and wires in Santa Cruz County's unincorporated areas, according to the county.

Cal Fire CZU said around 7 a.m. Tuesday that it had responded to at least 10 vegetation fires in the past 12 hours. "All engines are committed to these fires today, with more resources coming in from other units," Cal Fire said on Twitter.

Get the full forecast here.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the location of the Panther Ridge Fire.