Residents throughout northwest Gilroy have returned to their
intact homes and caught their breaths after hundreds rallied
through a broiling weekend and terrifying blaze that charred
hundreds of acres and threatened homes.
a traffic nightmare, firefighters clean up Hummingbird Fire,
unhealthy air in Gilroy, fire starts on Mt. Madonna Saturday
afternoon.
photo gallery of the fire and an interactive map locating the
two fires.
Residents throughout northwest Gilroy have returned to their intact homes and caught their breaths after hundreds rallied through a broiling weekend and terrifying blaze that charred hundreds of acres and threatened homes.
Firefighters worked Monday to completely contain the Hummingbird Fire and almost had the Whitehurst Fire entirely under control as of 4:30 p.m.
Gone was the dark scene of frantic home- and horse-owners scrambling for safety as the fire raced down the hillside early Sunday morning. The smoky, disorienting ash showers and whaling sirens had also ceased as 80 firefighters mopped up the mess throughout the day, down from 270 Sunday.
Even Monday’s highest temperature dropped 21 degrees from Saturday’s fire-friendly 103 degrees, when lighting strikes ignited the crispy hills. A charred moonscape remained Monday as rural residents along Day and Watsonville roads continued to trickle back home, some to structures where flames came within yards of touching. No homes, outbuildings or vehicles were lost, and those living in the Oak Dell Trailer Park were the last to return, according to Cal Fire volunteer spokesman George Hoyt. Highway 152 also re-opened to Watsonville Road residents with identification, he said.
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, the Hummingbird Fire, feeding quickly on golden grass and brush, had consumed 850 acres and was entirely contained, according to Hoyt. Firefighters burned 15 to 20 acres themselves Monday to rein in the larger fire, according to Daniel Berlant, the initial Cal Fire Information Officer assigned to the scene.
The Whitehurst fire has relied more on thick brush and trees and continued to burn high in the mountains south of Highway 152 in the Mount Madonna area Monday. It was 95 percent contained as of 4:30 p.m. Monday, having consumed 200 acres far removed from any structures, Hoyt said.
Still, “firefighters won’t be going home – they’re going to be in there for a long time putting out any potential hot spots,” said Hoyt, expressing concern over winds that began to pick up Monday afternoon. While winds can pose a threat, they also clear the air of smoke for residents, allowing them to breathe easier.
“Sunday we stayed in the house all day with the hepa-filter fan running, but when we woke up today, it was a lot clearer,” said Lydia Eden-Irwin, a resident along Hecker Pass Highway. “We’ve had the doors and windows open today, so it’s been quite a relief.”
Firefighters were also relieved to fight the Hummingbird fire with capable residents.
“Many of them were aware and definitely made sure they had good defensible space around their homes. That was certainly a factor that allowed firefighters to make a stand,” Berlant said, referring to residents such as Carol Anderson and Terry Kohley, at 2845 Day Road, who created a border of upturned dirt extending along the base of the hill at the edge of Anderson’s property last spring. The two also saturated an area around their animals Saturday night, and joined others who expressed a endless number of thank-yous to firefighters.
“I am so impressed with these firefighters. It is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable what they accomplished,” said Susan Mister, who lives off Burchell Road. Berlant also lauded residents’ efforts and general know-how of fire prevention:
Of the 465 fire personnel and 59 engines spanning 11 agencies that fought the fires since Saturday, Gilroy contributed four firefighters and one engine for six hours to help fight the Hummingbird Fire Saturday afternoon, and Battalion Chief Ed Bozzo pulled a 24-hour shift with the command team for the Whitehurst Fire Sunday, according to GFD Chief Dale Foster. The state will reimburse all overtime costs, he said. On-duty Gilroy Police Department officers also helped out with traffic control throughout the weekend, said GPD Sgt. Jim Gillio.
While the cause is still officially under investigation, the lightning strikes, brief rainfall and subsequent smoke caught many residents throughout the city off guard Saturday – especially those who had been enjoying the smell of barbecue downtown.
“The rain hit us during out hot-dog-eating contest, but the smoke didn’t bother us – it just changed from the smell of barbecue to burning wood,” said Steve Ashford, who helped put together the two-day Rock N’ Ribs barbecue and live music festival downtown at Fifth and Monterey streets. “A few people got stuck on the other side of hill, coming from Watsonville or Monterey, but that’s all. The rain and lightning was actually kind of fun.”
The National Weather Service portended the seemingly ironic mid-day flashes last Wednesday when it announced its annual Lighting Safety Awareness Week. A Bay Area TV meteorologist Friday evening also forecasted possible lightning strikes Saturday, but nobody was expecting the ensuing infernos.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m on my way to check and see if my friends up on Watsonville Road are all right,” said Khalid Reynolds about 11 p.m. Saturday night as he stood on the north side of Day Road watching the fire line, arms crossed in the headlights of his diesel Ford truck. He had just returned from dropping his two horses off in San Martin after picking them up from a stable down the road that holds about 45 horses, he said.
By that time the glowing orange fire line was crackling down the hillside. By Sunday afternoon, though, Cal Fire had the beast surrounded with a with a wide fire break cut by bulldozers. Three Hollister-based air tankers dumped flame retardant across the hills, and the thumping of a helicopter pulsated through the air all day, dumping water from the Cordevalle Golf Resort in San Martin on both the fires alternately. Reconnaissance flights also gave command staff a strategic look at the direction and scope of the fire while infrared flights pinpoint hot spots for ground crews to stamp out, according to Battalion Chief Paul Van Gerwen, a Cal Fire spokesman.
At one point, Firefighter Steve Morlock and his Marin County crew jumped up from a well-deserved break in the shade Sunday afternoon to save a home 200 yards north of Day Road, hours after Cal Fire reported that the Hummingbird Fire had been surrounded.
After shifts are done, the firefighters are retreating to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for food and rest, he said. The base camp had already been set up for fighting a fire that began Friday in Watsonville.
