UPDATE: Evacuation orders lifted for Edgewood Fire near Redwood City; 5% contained
REDWOOD CITY – A 20-acre brush fire prompted evacuation orders and injured a firefighter as it grew to seven alarms in San Mateo County near Redwood City Tuesday afternoon.
Around 8:30 p.m., Cal Fire tweeted the evacuation orders had been downgraded to warnings and "all warnings are lifted." The fire was 5% contained.
Cal Fire officials said the fire began as two separate incidents in the Emerald Hills neighborhood shortly after 2 p.m. The first fire, known as the Colton Fire, was contained after burning several acres.
Meanwhile, the Edgewood Fire burning near Edgewood Road and Crestview Drive continued to grow in size, prompting a fifth alarm as of 3:30 p.m. Two more alarms were called later.
Cal Fire crews, including air support, responded to the scene. "We have numerous resources on the scene and numerous resources still responding," Battalion Chief Ethan Petersen said Tuesday afternoon.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Cal Fire Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Cox estimated the fire at 25 acres as of 5:45 p.m. No structures have been destroyed.
Also during the briefing, Cal Fire officials said a firefighter that responded to the blaze was injured. The firefighter was taken to Stanford Hospital for treatment. The firefighter's condition was not immediately known.
According to KPIX 5 meteorologist Paul Heggen, crews faced challenging conditions with temperatures near 100, low humidity and wind gusts around 15 mph.
The fire prompted evacuations in parts of the Emerald Hills neighborhood and Edgewood County Park, namely zones RWC-E002 and RWC-E003, WSD-E099-A and SMC-E036. Advisories have been issued for zones RWC-E003-A and WSD-E099-B.
A temporary center for evacuees was set up at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center located at 1455 Madison Ave. in Redwood City. Meanwhile, large animals were being accepted at Parking Lot 6 at nearby Cañada College.
Chris, a resident who did not give her last name, spoke to KPIX 5 as she was preparing to evacuate with her horse.
"We were prepared, as much as we could and that we followed instructions. Being on the front edge, we're next to the watershed in Edgewood Park, so we we're prepared and everybody was doing the best job they can," Chris said.
The fire also threatened a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. substation located at Cañada Road. Firefighters were on scene to protect the substation.
The fire comes as several thousand PG&E customers on the Peninsula were being impacted by a power outage. A spokesperson for the utility told KPIX 5 that the cause of the outage was under investigation.
Investigators have been brought to the scene of the fire. A cause has not been determined.
