Vegetation fire prompts evacuations on Moro Road
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) A controlled burn resulted in mandatory evacuations in Prunedale Thursday afternoon.
It all happened on Moro Road between Tustin Road and Moro Circle; residents were evacuated from Moro Circle but have already been cleared to come back.
The fire spread to over two acres, according to North Monterey County Fire.
A longtime Prunedale resident in the area tells KION her son alerted her to the fire after he saw black smoke outside.
"Mom, I think you oughta see this, there's black smoke out there. I said really? I got up and I picked up the phone knowing black smoke's not a good thing," said Christine Saling, a Prunedale resident. "I could see the flames in the trees, next to my neighbor's property."
A Cal Fire incident commander says at least seven homes were placed under mandatory evacuations on Moro Circle.
"And that's mainly just for fire equipment to be able to get in and out and to make sure the residents are out of the way so that all the suppression activity doesn't affect them," said Nick Milton, a Cal Fire battalion chief.
"We came over here and helped the firefighters put off the fire a little and we just want to thank Cal Fire for helping us," said Luis Navarro, another Prunedale resident who lives near the burn area.
Saling says residents are allowed to burn things like trash and weeds until the end of the month, so it's not uncommon to see smoke in neighborhoods.
Crews spent a couple hours mopping up the scene to make sure there aren't any hotspots. Cal Fire had multiple engines, a hand crew, two air tankers and a helicopter at their disposal.
The scars from the River Fire near Salinas last year still stand as a reminder of the worst that can happen. This area faces another dry fire season now, and so do the rest of us.
"The annual grasses grow every year, so there's a possibility for fire activity in those areas again," said Milton.
"There's fire danger everywhere, and we're reminded by Cal Fire all the time to keep our weeds down and to clear our homes and do what we need to do," said Salinas.
The fire was fully contained soon after it sparked. No structures were lost.
UPDATE 4/29/2021 4:45 p.m. The North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County said residents evacuated from Moro Circle due to a fire on Moro Road have been cleared to return.
The agency, Cal Fire and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said the fire was started by a controlled burn and spread over two acres between Tustin Road and Moro Circle.
The fire is reportedly under control and no structures were lost.
UPDATE 4/29/2021 3:30 p.m. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office says the fire on Moro Road has been contained, but evacuated areas around Moro Circle are expected to remain closed for about three more hours.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office said about 10 homes were evacuated. An evacuation center is open at the Prunedale Grange.
UPDATE 4/29/2021 2:45 p.m. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office says currently only homes on Moro Circle are under evacuation. An evacuation center has opened at the Prunedale Grange at 17890 Moro Road.
PREVIOUS STORY: The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said it is with North County Fire at the scene of a "large vegetation fire" in the 18800 block of Moro Road.
North County Fire says it is about 1.5 acres and structures are threatened, but none have caught fire at this point.
The Sheriff's Office said deputies are evacuating homes nearby, and Moro Road is closed from Linda Vista Place to Oak Estates.
Crews are asking everyone to stay away from the area as they try to fight the fire.
