Crime & Safety

Acre-Plus Wildfire Burns Above Los Gatos, Saratoga Hills

High winds affecting firefighters' ability to fight blaze, which is under containment as of noon Sunday.

 

A brush and timber fire began burning in a remote area about a mile away from Heather Heights Road and Highway 9 Sunday morning above the Los Gatos and Saratoga hills.

The cause of the quickly spreading blaze, first reported to Cal Fire about 7:45 a.m., was under investigation, but initial reports were that it had been started when a power line went down due to the high winds in the area.

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Cal Fire Capt. Paul Provence said about 15 engines had been committed to the 1½-acre fire, which was contained as of noon Sunday. The incident also needed the response of two air tankers, one air commander tactical unit, one helicopter and two hand crews.

"There's been a large contingency assigned to this fire because of the wind," said retired Santa Clara County firefighter and photographer Brian Floyd. "They had to walk about a mile and a half to get to it because there's no roads up there."

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The helicopter and the air tankers aided in the fire's containment by dropping retardant, and a line has been formed, but it's still burning, Provence said.

There have been no injuries reported and no evacuations in effect, but the fire needed a large response due to the terrain and high wind conditions.

"We have firefighters with picks and shovels there," Provence said. "The wind is causing problems for us. The fire has a line around it, but it's not out. It's not controlled."

Firefighters are expected to remain at the fire scene for several hours due to the weather, Provence added.

—Patch will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.


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