Metz Fire burning in Monterey County now 100 percent contained

UPDATE 9/14/18 1:42 p.m. : A large brush fire near Greenfield had firefighters scrambling to contain it on Thursday.

Cal Fire had crews working into the night to put out the flames.

The Metz Fire was 100 percent contained Friday. It started late Thursday afternoon just east of Greenfield in the hillsides near Metz and Topo Roads.

The fire burned around 400 acres.

“You can see this terrain is very steep. It’s too steep to operate dozer on safely, so this is where the fire crews come in handy,” said Captain John Spooner, a Cal Fire public information officer.

There were about five crews on scene each with about 15 people and a fire captain. Six air tankers, three helicopters and 13 engines also helped prevent the fire from spreading.

In the last month or so, Captain Spooner said the fire season has been relatively quiet on the Central Coast compared to Northern California, but they still expect some more activity in the near future.

“15 years ago, we really didn’t get into the active part of fire season until September and October when the Santa Ana wind conditions prevailed,” said Spooner. “So we’re starting to get into that now. We’re probably going to see a little more activity in the future before the rains come.”

The strategy for Cal Fire while combating the Metz Fire was to set up a perimeter around those areas that are still on fire and work their way inward to put out those fires.

No structures or homes were threatened, but a few power line poles appeared to be burned. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

UPDATED 9/13/18 6:15 p.m.:
According to Cal Fire the Metz fire has burned at least 420 acres and is now 60 percent contained.

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According to Cal Fire, the Metz fire started at Metz Road and Topo Road.

It has burned at least 200 acres and there is no word on containment yet.

We’ll continue to update this story as it develops.