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As the mostly volunteer firefighters with the Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek fire districts worked tirelessly over the last week to protect their neighbors’ homes from the CZU Lightening Complex fires — sometimes successfully, sometimes not — the lack of adequate resources became glaringly apparent.

“Fire personnel were lying on the concrete floor of the apparatus in their dirty gear just to get some sleep,” Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman stated after visiting the scene.

With hundreds of lightning-caused fires raging across the state, Cal Fire has struggled to provide adequate resources on all fronts, including within the CZU Lightening Complex fires, which as of Tuesday had burned about 78,000 acres and destroyed at least 330 homes.

Thankfully, a coordinated local effort by neighboring firefighting agencies, not just from Menlo Park but also Redwood City, Woodside and North County Fire, has provided a boost to the fire battles in Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, which are particularly under-resourced.

“The initial ‘ask’ from Ben Lomond was for a loaner stripped down reserve training fire engine,” Schapelhouman said. “But we quickly realized when we brought it up there that they and Boulder Creek, needed much, much more.”

Within hours, “we were back with a 6000 Gallon Water Tanker we occasionally use at our training center along with pallets of water and Gatorade,”  Schapelhouman said. “Within the next 24 hours, we delivered cots and sleeping bags, toiletries, spare radios and fire foam. Now each day we ask them what they need and serve as their logistical supply line so they can focus on the important task of saving their communities.”

Schapelhouman’s district is particularly adept at such a response. The Menlo Park Fire Protection District is a sponsoring agency for the FEMA State and National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. The district’s CA-TF3 Incident Support Team is one of 28 such teams nationally specializing in rapid deployment to disaster areas.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Carl Kustin, a Boulder Creek resident and member of the CA-TF3 team, told Schapelhouman about the dire situation in his hometown. Schapelhouman “mobilized his team and network” to assist, the Times reported. In addition to the assistance mentioned above, Schapelhouman “secured several infrared and heat-seeking drones for the volunteer firefighters to use for fire reconnaissance,” which are set to be used Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kustin turned the firehouse in Boulder Creek into “a de facto operations center,” the newspaper said.

Currently, Menlo Fire has 13 firefighters and two chief officers deployed to the CZU Lightning Complex fires and other fires around the state, Schapelhouman  said. Woodside, Redwood City and North County Fire firefighters are also assisting in the fire battles.

On Tuesday, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District posted photos of the local, multi-agency effort to social media, stating:

“Firefighters helping firefighters! The Menlo Park Fire Protection District among with @woodsidefireprotectiondistrict, @redwoodcityfire, and North County Fire provided additional resources to help the fire agencies and communities in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County affected by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.”

Headline photo credit: Menlo Fire

Thanks to continued favorable weather, firefighters made additional progress on the CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County over the last 24 hours. The cluster of blazes remained at about 78,000 acres, and containment grew by 4 percent Monday to 17 percent as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire officials said.

Over 25,000 structures remain under threat, and 330 structures are confirmed destroyed, 11 of them in San Mateo County and the rest in Santa Cruz County, officials said. Just over 1,600 firefighters are battling the blazes.

Improved weather conditions allowed fire crews to continue to build control lines around the fire to prevent its further march into communities. On Monday, helicopters taking advantage of the favorable weather dropped 200,000 gallons of water into the fire zone, and anticipate being able to do that again Tuesday, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said.

From the north end of the fire near Loma Mar in San Mateo County, to the south end below Bonny Doon, fire lines are holding well and in some cases self-mitigating, Brunton said. The city of Santa Cruz and UC Santa Cruz are “looking very well protected” as of Tuesday morning, Brunton said. Optimism was also expressed about fire battles near Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were among 367 wildfires that began last week throughout the state following 11,000 lightning strikes over a 72-hour period. The lightning strikes were caused by a tropical storm in the Pacific. Firefighting resources have been stretched thin as a result of the large number of wildfires.

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image credited to Cal Fire CZU

The organizer of a GoFundMe campaign to help Redwood City businesses which boarded up in anticipation of potentially destructive protests in June is inviting them to apply for a portion of the $13,000 that was collected.

Brett Weber, a longtime commercial real estate executive who lives in downtown Redwood City, made an impromptu decision to organize the GoFundMe effort to assist businesses he knew were already struggling because of months of coronavirus-related shutdowns.

Fearing the worst because of rioting and looting across the nation, most downtown businesses and some in the Fair Oaks neighborhood expended hundreds to thousands of dollars to get their storefronts boarded up in advance of a June 2 march—and then to have the plywood removed. Fortunately, those fears were not borne out and the march and rally were not violent.

“We are grateful that the protests in Redwood City were peaceful and on message,” Weber says, “however the costs incurred were an additional expense that nobody expected.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of the community,” he adds, “and contributing to the fund was a way for people to show support for the restaurants, stores and other businesses they patronize.”

Business owners who had to pay to board up their windows and doors are eligible to receive up to $750 grants from the fund, which means as many as 18 to 26 groups will be able to recover some of what they spent. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the money runs out.

Applicants need to provide the name and address of the business, contact information, proof of payment for boarding up and photos of the plywood installation. They should send the information to either Weber at Brett.Weber@me.com or Ernie Schmidt at Ernie@foxvenues.com; both can also provide more specifics about the requirements.

The application deadline is Sept. 7, and Weber’s goal is to have the payments made by the end of September.

Headline photo: Redwood City businesses board up before the demonstration/Jim Kirkland

The CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County had grown to 78,000 acres, and were 13 percent contained as of Monday morning.

Over 24,000 structures remain under threat, and 231 have been confirmed destroyed across both counties, officials said. Just over 1,500 firefighters are battling the blazes.

Cal Fire officials remained optimistic Monday due to favorable weather conditions. No known lightning strikes occurred in the San Mateo-Santa Cruz areas overnight despite a red flag warning in the state. The red flag warning was expected to last until 5 p.m. Monday.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were among 367 wildfires that began last week throughout the state following 11,000 lightning strikes over a 72-hour period. The lightning strikes were caused by a tropical storm in the Pacific.

In the last 24 hours, more humid weather has allowed firefighters to make significant process on creating control lines to protect communities, particularly in the north end of the fire in San Mateo County. On the coast, some of the fires have self-mitigated due to the weather conditions, and a protective control line has been established around the community, officials said.

Control lines have also been established on the south end of the fire, including one from Highway 1 to Highway 9, to protect UC Santa Cruz and the City of Santa Cruz. Fire officials are “confident these lines are going to hold.” Felton is “still looking pretty good,” they added.

Meanwhile, dozens of law enforcement officials continue to monitor evacuation zones for suspicious people or for property owners attempting to return to their homes. Since Sunday night, three people were arrested in Santa Cruz County for being in the evacuation zone. Two of them were additionally arrested on outstanding warrants.

In San Mateo County, six people who entered the restricted areas to check on their properties had to be rescued due to encroaching fires. No injuries were reported during the rescue, officials said.

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image: UC Santa Cruz Police posted this photo thanking Brooke and Malia for creating a sign at the UC Santa Cruz main entrance expressing gratitude to first responders.

The CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County had reached 71,000 acres, and were 8 percent contained as of Sunday morning.

Cal Fire officials said favorable weather conditions allowed for progress to be made on the damaging blazes. Their optimism is tempered, however, as the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the region from 5 a.m. Sunday through 5 p.m. Monday due to possible weather events that could bring additional thunderstorms, lightning and winds.  This round is expected to be a weaker version than last week’s, when over 11,000 lightning strikes over a 72-hour period caused by a tropical storm in the Pacific sparked a flurry of wildfires across the state.

“We’re preparing for the weather change, but we’re hoping for the best,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Det. Rosemerry Blankswade said during a press conference Sunday.

As of Sunday morning, the nearly week-old fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties continued to threaten over 24,000 structures, and had destroyed 129. The number of personnel assigned to the fires across had grown to 1,349.

In San Mateo County, where the fires are threatening the communities of Pescadero and La Honda, firefighters took advantage of improved weather conditions to use water-dropping helicopters and construct fire control lines. As of Friday, about 4,600 people in San Mateo County were under evacuation order and about 800 animals had been evacuated. Evacuation centers have been set up at Half Moon Bay High, which is at full capacity, and the San Mateo County Event Center.

On the south end of the fire, fire personnel continued to build fire lines above the UC Santa Cruz campus. Over by Highway 9 in Boulder Creek, firefighters “kept the fire well above [Boulder Creek], although smoke conditions were heavy” and they couldn’t build as many lines as they would have liked, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said. Firefighters also worked to create lines on a ridgetop to protect the community of Ben Lomond. Fire is widespread in Bonny Doon, but progress has been made in that community. Felton, where firefighters recently put out a spot fire, is “sitting very well,” Brunton said.

Officials continue to bemoan seeing people in the evacuation zones, as rescues have put first responders at risk and hampers resources needed for the fire fight. Dozens of law enforcement personnel are monitoring evacuated areas for potential looters. Five suspected looters were recently arrested, and more recently a firefighter’s truck was burglarized, personal items including his wallet was taken and his bank account was drained, Brunton said.

In San Mateo County, Blankswade expressed disappointment to see so many people still traveling to the coast and beaches despite closures.

“We really need to rally together  right now Bay Area,” she said. “You never know when this is going to be your town, your city and your homes. And if we can support each other now, it will build a better and stronger Bay Area when you might need it most. so please, don’t come to the beaches right now…do not come to the coast.”

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image: CZU August Lightning Complex fires/Credit: Cal Fire CZU

The CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County was at 63,000 acres, and was 5 percent contained as of Saturday morning, as Cal Fire officials said continued favorable weather conditions allowed for progress to be made on the damaging blazes.

Over 24,000 structures continue to be threatened, 97 are confirmed destroyed and over 64,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. Just over 1,100 personnel were working to battle the fires and protect structures, officials said.

Reduced wind and a marine layer helped mitigate fire conditions in the northern end of the fire on Friday — including in the areas of Pescadero and Loma Mar of San Mateo County, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said.

“We got some lines put it,” Brunton said, adding that while conditions are better the region is “still by far not out of the woods.”

Fire made a run in the Davenport community but the community “is still in good shape” with control lines firefighters are monitoring.

The blazes advanced again into Boulder Creek and the Ben Lomond areas, but fortunately it wasn’t a hard push into those communities, Brunton said.

A spot fire of about five acres invaded the Felton community, but firefighters were able to jump on it quickly.

Fire suppression teams scored a “big win” on the south end of the fire between Highway 1 an Highway 9, creating a fire line above the UC Santa Cruz campus and the communities of Santa Cruz and Capitola.

“It’s not bullet proof, not the silver bullet there, but it gives us a really good stronghold, a control point to keep the fire from moving southward into those communities,” Brunton said.

“We are putting a secondary fire break in that area,” he said.

In San Mateo County, evacuation centers have been set up at Half Moon Bay High and at the San Mateo County Event Center. Large animals are now being brought to the Cow Palace. Meanwhile, eight law enforcement teams are patrolling the northern evacuation areas to ensure the safety of people lingering in the area and to prevent looting of homes.

In Santa Cruz, where five suspected looters were recently arrested, 60 law enforcement personnel are on patrol, officials said.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were among 367 known wildfires statewide that broke out following a 72-hour period of nearly 11,000 lightning strikes amid hot and dry conditions.

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image: CZU August Lightning Complex fires/Credit: Cal Fire CZU

The CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County had grown to 57,000 acres, and was 2 percent contained as of Friday evening, as Cal Fire officials reported that more favorable weather has allowed for “slight” progress on the damaging blazes.

Still, the fires prompted by lightning strikes and hot temperatures are threatening over 24,000 structures and over 64,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. Damage inspectors report that 97 structures have been destroyed, and officials say the number will get into the triple digits as they search fire-ravaged areas. Just over 1,150 personnel were working to battle the fires and protect structures, officials said.

In Santa Cruz, the fire continued to progress throughout the San Lorenzo Valley and into the Highway 9 corridor, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said. The fires on the coast and in San Mateo County were tempered a bit by more favorable weather conditions, and that should continue overnight with reduced winds, Brunton said. But that will “only slightly” mitigate the situation, he added.

Meanwhile, sheriff’s deputies in both counties are urging residents in evacuation zones to evacuate and not return to their homes unnecessarily, citing rescues that took critical fire personnel away from the fire battle. Meanwhile, dozens of sheriff’s are patrolling evacuated areas for potential looters.

In San Mateo County, evacuation centers have been set up at Half Moon Bay High and at the San Mateo County Event Center.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were among 367 known wildfires statewide that broke out following a 72-hour period of nearly 11,000 lightning strikes amid hot and dry conditions.

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image: CZU Crew 1 conducting emergency evacuations at CZU August Lightning Complex fires/Credit: Cal Fire CZU

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires in southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County had grown to 50,000 acres, and remained zero percent contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.

The number of residents evacuated jumped from about 48,000 people Thursday evening to over 64,000 Friday morning. Evacuation zones are highlighted in the above image. While officials have confirmed at least 50 structures have been destroyed, they say that number is likely to climb into the triple digits.

Over 1,000 fire personnel are responding and no injuries to civilians have been reported. Three first responders have suffered minor injuries, officials said.

Aerial attacks on the fire have been limited due to lack of visibility caused by smoke and fog conditions, officials said. A short-lived marine layer overnight somewhat helped to calm the fires along the coast, but that did not prevent their eastward march into Santa Cruz County, where the fires have impacted Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and farther south and caused additional structural loss, officials said. The City of Scotts Valley, population 12,000, was in the midst of evacuations, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said.

In San Mateo County, evacuation zones include “every town west of 35 all the way up to Highway 1,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Det. Rosemerry Blankswade said. Evacuated areas include Pescadero Beach Area, Pescadero Creek County Park area, Bean Hollow, Pescadero, San Gregorio, La Honda, Red Barn, Russian Bridge Open Space, Skylonda Area and Langley Hill. San Mateo County closed all parks due to the fires.

Fires are also happening on both sides of Highway 1. Officers went door to door overnight making evacuations.

“We are asking everybody to avoid coming to these coastal towns,” Blankswade said.

The evacuation center set up at Half Moon Bay High is full, so evacuees, especially those with RVs, trailers and large animals, are asked to go to a new center at the San Mateo County Event Center.

First responders are pleading with residents in evacuation zones to leave the areas and not try to save their homes or others. Three rescues have happened that put both the residents and first responders’ lives at risk, and kept first responders from working on the fire line, officials said.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires were among 367 known wildfires statewide that broke out following a 72-hour period of nearly 11,000 lightning strikes amid hot and dry conditions.

Visit the regional evacuations portal for more information. Visit Cal Fire’s incident map for more information on the status of wildfires throughout the state.

Headline image: Evacuation zones for the CZU August Lightning Complex fires