CA-SCU-Mustang: Fire near Henry Coe park is 80 percent contained

Thursday, May 14, 2009

CA-SCU-Mustang: Fire near Henry Coe park is 80 percent contained

By Mark Gomez
Mercury News
Posted: 05/14/2009 09:47:40 AM PDT
Updated: 05/14/2009 09:52:46 AM PDT

Fire crews battling a wildfire along the southern Santa Clara County border near Henry Coe State Park have the blaze 80 percent contained this morning and hope to have it completely controlled by tomorrow, according to a Cal Fire spokesman.

The Mustang Fire, which has burned 570 acres, is not threatening any of the scattered ranches in a remote area located about 25 miles north of Highway 152, near Casa de Fruta, according to Paul Van Gerwen, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire is torching a large area of heavy brush and oak woodland that has not burned in more than 40 years, Van Gerwen said. To reach the blaze, fire crews navigated "a pretty rough road" that includes a very steep single-lane passing and three or four creek crossings, Van Gerwen said.
"It's really pretty country," Van Gerwen said. "It's just real tough to get there."

There are currently 530 firefighters assigned to the blaze, some of whom spent the night in the remote area.

The fire was first reported Wednesday around 1 p.m. by a rancher who spotted flames and smoke.

Nine aircraft, including tankers and helicopters, doused the flames of the Mustang fire with retardant as more than 200 firefighters tried to stop the blaze from spreading. By late evening, it was 60 percent contained.

Source: MercuryNews.com

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

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Thursday, May 14, 2009