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Rain Helps Firefighters Battling Estrada Fire In Santa Cruz County

WATSONVILLE (BCN) -- Firefighters battling the Estrada Fire near Watsonville were aided by rain overnight and expect containment to increase by Monday evening, Cal Fire said.

The blaze remained at 148 acres and 60 percent contained as of Monday morning, said Cal Fire CZU spokesperson Angela Bernheisel.

Crews were mopping up and repairing roads and areas that were damaged by the fire, which started as a prescribed burn Friday morning on the Estrada Ranch near Hazel Dell Road and Hidden Canyon.

The blaze jumped containment lines on Friday afternoon when winds picked up. No structures were damaged but one firefighter suffered a minor injury while battling the blaze, officials said.

The controlled burn was aimed to burn just 20 acres at the ranch, but quickly spread and prompted evacuation warnings to nearby areas. Those warnings have since been lifted.

The ranch is owned by members of the Estrada family, which includes retired Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Estrada, according to Cal Fire.

 

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