A wood pile along Quarry Road in Aromas that caught fire early Tuesday morning led to power lines down and road closures.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reported that the fire broke out around 2am on the 200 block of Quarry Road.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Rowe said the five-acre fire has been contained but still continues to burn in a controlled area and would continue to burn for several days. He said two houses were involved and several outbuildings were also destroyed.
Aromas School was closed for the day, but there was no threat to the school or surrounding residences, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The fire is on the San Benito County side, and there are no evacuations in Monterey County.
San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said there were originally evacuations at Marshall Lane and Rose Avenue, but they have since been lifted.
Officials with the Aromas-San Juan School District said Aromas School canceled classes Tuesday. San Juan School and Anzar High School remained open.
No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire has not been released.
A heavy veil of smoke continues to drape across the town of Aromas, emanating from a large column of gray and brown smoke from the burn pile. Carpenteria Road is closed at Quarry Road to make way for emergency equipment that is staged along Quarry Road in various spots.