Less than 30 minutes after it was first reported, firefighters
stopped the wind-aided blaze near the intersection of Union Road
and San Benito Street.
Less than 30 minutes after it was first reported, firefighters have stopped the wind-aided blaze near the intersection of Union Road and San Benito Street.
The fire damaged no structures, but it burned nearly two acres of vegetation adjacent to a home structure on the corner of Union Road and San Benito Street. The fire, creeping up against Union Road, rapidly expanded eastbound before fire crews were able to cut it off.
Fire crews used a hose to connect a truck to a water supply as they tried to fend off the fire.
It is unclear how or where the fire started, said Reno Ditullio, Calfire battalion chief for the Aromas Tri-County Area.
“We don’t know yet – we are still trying to suppress it,” he said.
More than 30 minutes after the fire was originally called in, the grassland was still smoldering and smoke was bellowing out.
Firefighters and passerby Bill Schenkenburger used shovels to help stop the fire.
Schenkenburger was driving by when he saw the flames go up and start growing, he said. It was small at first but grew fast because of the wind.
“I was coming from the high school and I saw the smoke and it started to get bigger,” he said. “So I grabbed a shovel and started (helping).”
Sergio Hernandez, a 10-year-old resident of the residence next door, was riding his bike when he saw two people running from the area screaming there was a fire, he said.
He immediately told his parents and called 911, he said. A thick black smoke quickly covered Union Road.
“You couldn’t even see the road,” he said.
Look back for an update and video coverage.
