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Bear Fire Updates: 100% Containment

CalFire Incident Update

Monterey Bay Area Air Quality

Thursday PM Update: The Bear Fire is no 100% contained at 391 acres.  Firefighters will remain on scene for the next few days.  CalFire asks residents to report any possible signs of smoke.

Wednesday PM Update:  The Bear Fire is 95% contained.  Full containment is still expected Thursday.  

Tuesday PM Update: The Bear Fire is now 90% contained. About 80 personnel remain on the fire. Firefighters are reinforcing containment lines and mopping up.

CalFire wants to remind everyone that a burn ban is in place for all Bay Area CalFire units, including the San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit. The order bans all outdoor burning as of October 13th. 

Monday PM Update:   The 391 acre Bear Fire is now 85% contained.  Full containment is expected on Thursday.  All evacuation orders have been lifted.  All roads are open. 

Monday Update:  All remaining evacuations orders were lifted at 8:00 this morning.  CalFire still expects full containment tomorrow.  The fire is 391 acres and 79% contained.  The growth of the fire over the weekend was due to more accurate perimeter mapping.

Friday Update 9:00am: CalFire expects to have the Bear Fire fully contained on Tuesday. 

The fire is no longer threatening any structures, though some evacuation orders remain in effect.  Bear Creek Canyon Road, Deer Creek Road, Rons Road, Dons Road and their tributary streets in the fire area are all still under evacuation orders.

As of this morning, the 320 acre fire is 40% contained.   The fire has injured seven firefighters and destroyed four structures since it started late Monday night.

Thursday Update 8:00pm:  The fire is holding at 320 acres, but is now 35% contained.   300 homes are still threatened.

Thursday Update 9:00am:  Some evacuations have been lifted as the Bear Fire grows to 320 acres.  It is 30% contained.  300 homes are still threatened.

Evacuations have been lifted for the Los Cumbres and Skyline Boulevard communities.  Also residents living south of Bear Creek Road can return home.  That includes Hidden Springs Lane, Moon Rise Road, Mustang Mesa and Bear Creek Way.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for Bear Creek Canyon Road, Deer Creek Road, Rons Road, Dons Road and their tributary streets in the fire area.  All remain closed.

Wednesday Update 8:00pm:  The Bear Fire is now threatening 300 structures.  It has grown to 300 acres and is 15% contained.  CalFire says the arrival of additional resources have helped with containment.

Wednesday Update 2:00pm:  Drones temporarily stopped the air attack on the Bear Fire Wednesday.  It is against state law to fly drones in the area of a wildfire.  

Wednesday Update 8:00am:  The steep, rugged terrain of the Santa Cruz Mountains continues to challenge fire crews as a sixth firefighter is injured. 

CalFire describes the area east of Boulder Creek where the now 271 acre wildfire is burning as inaccessible and “covered by drought stressed fuels in heavy timber”.  Crews are working to build control lines today.   The fire is 10% contained.

Evacuations remain in place for the communities of Las Cumbres, Deer Creek and all residents of Bear Creek Road from Hawks Ridge Road to Skyline Boulevard. 

Evacuations Centers are at Lake Side Elementary in Los Gatos and the Zayante Fire Station in Felton.   Four structures have been destroyed including the one that triggered the fire around 10:30 Monday night.  150 homes remain threatened.

Find earlier updates here and through the stories below.

Krista joined KAZU in 2007. She is an award winning journalist with more than a decade of broadcast experience. Her stories have won regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and honors from the Northern California Radio and Television News Directors Association. Prior to working at KAZU, Krista reported in Sacramento for Capital Public Radio and at television stations in Iowa. Like KAZU listeners, Krista appreciates the in-depth, long form stories that are unique to public radio. She's pleased to continue that tradition in the Monterey Bay Area.
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