Skip to Content

Fire crews handle the Vineyard Fire, the largest fire to hit Monterey County this year

SAN MIGUEL, Calif. (KION) - There were scary moments for those living in a south Monterey County neighborhood. The Vineyard Fire forced people out of their homes for a short time.

About 355 acres burned and is 100% contained, according to CalFire.

The Vineyard fire is the largest fire in Monterey County this year.

In less than 24 hours Cal Fire says they were able to contain 80 percent of the fire.

A big reason was the quick response time from local fire units but also because of the moisture on the ground from the rain earlier this year.

The vineyard fire broke out Sunday evening in the southern portion of Monterey County.

Melissa Dortch who lives in San Miguel said she has never seen anything like this.

I've been living here in San Miguel for about three and a half years, so my first time ever seeing a wildfire here. She says yesterday was a wake-up call.

"We just got the property, just got the house. I have a one-year-old, you know, it's scary for that to happen so close to home."

Lucky for Melissa and others who live here, fire crews were able to quickly contain the majority of the fire.

"We had just we had just under 100 firefighters at the time of initial attack. When you talk about air tankers, we had up to six tankers. We had three dozers, multiple engines from multiple just cooperators, you're getting your local government water tenders type three engines from them as well," said Ryan Avila, the Calfire BEU Battalion Chief.

But it wasn’t just all hands on deck that helped put out the fire so quickly. They also had help from mother nature.

Fire officials say the green patches of grass are thanks to the large amount of rain we received this year which is also why you don’t hear much of a crack when you step on the grass.

However, fire officials say this fire possibly won't be the last since warmer months are approaching.

"We know it's coming. We know there's the possibility to bigger ones," said Avila.

In scary moments like these, Melissa said her community was there in support.

"I think we have a great community. I think they acted quick," said Melissa.

No one was hurt and no homes were damaged.

Cal Fire says they will continue to be on scene for the next few days to monitor the area.

Article Topic Follows: News

Jump to comments ↓

Dania Romero

Dania Romero is an reporter at KION News Channel 46.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KION 46 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content