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GILROY — A wildfire burning in southern Santa Clara County swelled to 5,400 acres Monday night, destroying one building and damaging another, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The so-called Crews Fire ignited near Crews Road and Sunlit Oaks Court in Gilroy just before 2 p.m. Sunday. As of 7:30 p.m. Monday, the blaze was 20% contained.
“Crews continue to fight the fire and establish containment lines that were created overnight,” Cal Fire said in a news release.
“The fire area is still under the influence of dry fuel moistures and strong winds. Moderate to extreme fire behavior is possible including spotting and wind-driven runs.”
There were reports of one injury related to the blaze, but Cal Fire did not list any injuries in the news release.
The flames spread quickly Sunday, growing from 150 acres about an hour after firefighters arrived at the scene, to 1,000 acres as of 6:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire.
By Sunday night, the blaze was 15% contained and had spread to 1,500 acres. Cal Fire ordered evacuations from Highway 152 north to Gilroy Hot Springs and southeast to Prunedale Avenue, and Canada Road was closed. Thirty structures are threatened.
Christmas Hill Park was also closed. Firefighters are using the park as a staging area.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at the Gilroy Senior Center, but nobody had arrived as of Monday morning, leading a Cal Fire official to speculate residents were staying with family or friends.
Additional help, including crews from the Oakland, Fremont and Alameda County fire departments, arrived at the scene Sunday night, and more support was due to arrive Monday.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
As the fight against the Crews Fire continued, firefighters managed to fully contain the Parks Fire burning east of Morgan Hill on Monday night, according to Cal Fire. The brush fire consumed 343 acres and spurred evacuations, which were later lifted.
Check back for updates.
