The blaze is around 90 percent contained and has burned around 630 acres and between five and 15 structures, officials said. The fire started around 2 p.m. Friday near Watsonville in the area of state Highway 1 and Buena Vista Drive. Approximately 650 firefighters have been fighting the blaze.
Fire officials initially evacuated about 2,000 residents in the Larkin Valley and Buena Vista areas, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department.
Residents inside the fire area, bounded by state Highway 1, Calabasas Road, White Road and Buena Vista, are not yet being allowed to return to their homes.
American Red Cross evacuation centers at Aptos High School at 100 Mariner Way in Aptos, and at Lakeview Middle School at 2350 East Lake Ave. south of the county fairgrounds, closed at 9 p.m. Friday. Residents in need of shelter should call the Red Cross at (831) 462-2881.
Temperatures in the fire zone today are expected to be between 94 and 104 degrees.
CONTACT:
Cal Fire command center (831) 335-6718
Santa Cruz County Health Service (831) 454-7561
Santa Cruz County PIO Enrique Sahagun (831) 458-7185
Lindsay Segersin, American Red Cross (920) 246-0738
Pajaro Valley Unified School District (831) 786-2100
Santa Cruz CHP (831) 662-0511
VIDEO:
- 11:00 PM: John Alston reports
- 11:00 PM: Lisa Amin reports
- 9:00 PM: Lisa Amin reports
- 9:00 PM: John Alston reports
- 6:45 PM: John Alston reports
- 6:40 PM: Lisa Amin reports
- 6:35 PM: INTERVIEW: Santa Cruz Fairgrounds
- 6:30 PM: Karina Rusk reports
- 6:15 PM: Tomas Roman reports
- 6:10 PM: INTERVIEW: Santa Cruz OES
- 6:05 PM: John Alston reports
- 6:00 PM: Karina Rusk reports
- 5:45 PM: RAW: Aerials over Watsonville area fire (2)
- 5:05 PM: Tomas Roman reports
- 5:00 PM: Karina Rusk reports
- 4:55 PM: RAW: Aerials over Watsonville area fire
- 4:45 PM: RAW: Home catches fire
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MORE: ABC7's Bay Area wildfire resource guide and safety tips
Stay with ABC7NEWS.COM for more on this developing story.
