Lightning-Sparked Wildfire Burns 50 Acres In Woodside
WOODSIDE (CBS SF) -- Cal Fire says a wildfire that was ignited by a lightning strike had spread to 50 acres on Tuesday in a heavily wooded area near Woodside's Wunderlich County Park.
The smoke from the blaze -- the Skeggs Fire -- in the western hills near Skyline and upper Bear Gulch Road was visible as far way as Stanford and Palo Alto and proving a challenge to fight.
Over 200 firefighters and aircraft were battling the 50-acre wildfire near the El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve west of Woodside in San Mateo County, fire officials said.
The Skeggs Fire was only 10 percent contained Tuesday at 7 p.m., according to Cal Fire.
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Helicopter video showed the blaze spread in the thick underbrush beneath a thick canopy of evergreens. No structures appeared to be immediately threatened by the blaze.
Cal Fire Fire Capt. Chris Walters believes the blaze may have been connected to roughly 1,000 lightning strikes in the area of Cal Fire's San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit.
There were a total of seven fires confirmed, according to Walters. Three of them are still burning and the Skeggs Fire is the largest.
The Woodside Fire Protection District is assisting Cal Fire, and sheriff's deputies have closed Kings Mountain Road from Skyline Boulevard to Woodside Road Tuesday morning. Huddart Park and Wunderlich County Park are also closed.
Cal Fire estimates the fire will be contained by Thursday.
Cal Fire and Santa Clara County fire officials also battled two vegetation fires Monday evening near Loma Prieta ridge and Twin Creeks Road in the Los Gatos area.