63.5 F
San Benito
March 18, 2024

Calfire: Hillside blaze possibly caused by blown transformer

Calfire expects to have the fire in the hills off San Juan Grade Road mostly contained tonight, while a spokesman said initial reports indicated a blown transformer may have caused it.

Calfire spokesman Josh Lorenzo told San Benito Live the fire was at 60 acres and 30 percent containment as of 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

“Crews are still working it,” he said. “They will be through the night.”

But Calfire is confident the fire will be mostly contained tonight.

“They’re going to have it wrapped tonight where we can call it 90 to 99 percent contained,” Lorenzo said, adding that crews are expected to work the scene tomorrow into the afternoon to ensure it doesn’t flare up again.

Lorenzo said third-party reports indicated a blown transformer occurred in the area, with smoke showing, right before the fire started. Still, Calfire wasn’t ready to officially confirm that as the cause.

As of Saturday night, there were about 50 firefighters still working the scene, with air-based crews from the Hollister Air Attack Base.

The fire is off San Juan Grade Road near Crazy Horse Canyon Road just south of the San Benito County line, although smoke was heavy in the Hollister and San Juan Bautista areas throughout Saturday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 2:38 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Shortly after, Calfire crews were on scene fighting the fire with bulldozers, helicopters and planes dropping retardant on the hills in the location about a 20-minute drive from San Juan Bautista through the mountains.

-Kollin Kosmicki

See video below from the scene of the fire:

SOCIAL MEDIA

5,035FansLike
272FollowersFollow
1,077FollowersFollow