Fire officials briefed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the status
of the Summit Fire this morning at Christmas Hill Park in
Gilroy.
Also with this story: photo gallery of the fire, and an
interactive map.
Fire officials briefed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the status of the Summit Fire this morning at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy.
By the numbers, the fire has razed 3,100 acres of land, claimed 10 residences and 20 other outbuildings, and is 30 percent contained, officials announced at a press conference. More than $800,000 has gone toward fighting the fire. Thankfully, no lives have been lost in the blaze, they confirmed.
“We have very brave and talented firefighters here in California,” Schwarzenegger said. “We have the most talented, the best trained, the most courageous, the best equipped, the most selfless firefighters in the world.” He went on to further commend their work and diligence in battling the wildfire.
He compared this year’s fire to last year’s Lick Fire in Henry Coe Park, a blaze that charred 47,760 acres of land. However, it’s barely the start of fire season with a long summer ahead. An unusually dry spring and whipping winds ripened the conditions. The state no longer experiences the traditional fire season any longer, Schwarzenegger said. Hot, dry conditions set in much earlier this year, bumping up fire season, officials said.
“The conditions are tough but we have to be ready,” Schwarzenegger said. “We can’t be whining about any of that. We can’t be complaining about global warming.”
“Being proactive is the most important thing because public safety is our number one priority,” he continued.
CalFire Director Ruben Grijalva added that residents need to do their part to remove dry vegetation from surrounding their homes and maintain these defensible spaces.
So far, officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, CalFire Chief John Ellis said.
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In this video, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commends firefighters on their efforts.
In this video, we take you on an aerial tour of the fire.
In this video, firefighters battle the blaze and CalFire staff give updated statistics on the Summit Fire.
In this video, Summit Road residents Mark and Nancy Hildebrand describe what it is like to be in a house near the fire.
