The Morgan Hill Fire
26-Sep-02
I sent the following to my mother via email earlier today:
You may or may not have heard about the Morgan Hill fire, which is currently at 3,000 acres and will not be contained until Saturday. People are being evacuated, and 11 homes have already been destroyed.
Morgan Hill is on the other side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, basically north of Soquel. The fire is in the hills, which is why it has been so hard to contain. We are in no danger in Scotts Valley, but my friends Chris and Ann live in Morgan Hill (away from the fire); if they are required to evacuate, they will pile into the RV and possibly park in front of our house.
Of more concern is John’s mother. Karen’s house is less than 10 miles away from the fire, on the Santa Cruz side of the hill. Right now, the fire is being stopped at Summit Road, which runs along the summit of the hill. Because it’s easier to break a fire at that point, I doubt they will have difficulty keeping it from entering Santa Cruz County, but it is a possibility. If Karen is evacuated, she will be staying with us until she can return to her home.
I just wanted to give you an update and let you know what was going on. San Jose is filled with the smell of smoke today, and the wind conditions are starting to blow it into Santa Cruz and especially Watsonville. Most of the fire fighting has been via air, as the fire is in a hilly area with few roads.