San Ramon Vegetation Fire Prompts Evacuations

SAN RAMON (CBS SF) -- A vegetation fire behind homes near Crow Canyon Road and Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon was reported at 3:55 p.m. Sunday afternoon, according to the San Ramon Police Department.

Eight homes in Estancia Court were evacuated as a precaution.

Betty Cho-Motts was one of the evacuees.

"When they evacuated us, we couldn't even see anything. It was so smoky. You could hear the fire crackling," said Cho-Motts.

"It had a head of steam coming at these houses, so we decided for the safety of these citizens, we'd get them evacuated," said Dan McNamara, the Battalion Chief of San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.

Firefighters rushed to the scene to combat the blaze, which has been named the Crow Fire.

Parts of the Bay Area are experiencing "critical fire weather" due to the combination of warm temperatures, high winds and low humidity, a combination of conditions that is perfect for fires to flourish.

"Weather and nature don't really have boundaries. So even though there's a fire weather warning up north of us, we're still in a heightened sense of awareness for fire weather and fire behavior in this area," said McNamara.

At around 4:45 p.m., San Ramon Police reported that progress was being made on the fire and that the amount of smoke had lessened.

There were no reports of damaged homes or structures.

Responsible homeowners and homeowner associations are being diligent about cutting down weeds and other vegetation around the perimeter of homes.

Firefighters in San Ramon Sunday night said they had 100 feet of defensible space, which proved crucial in successfully defending these homes.

The fire was contained around 4:55 p.m. Within a few hours, evacuations were lifted and residents were allowed to return home.