ROYAL OAKS — Monterey County fire agencies were battling a vegetation fire Wednesday afternoon that threatened 10 homes in the area of Vega Road.
The Vega Fire burns near Pajaro on Wednesday. (Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office began calling for evacuations on Vega and Hayes roads, plus all connecting tributary streets, around 2:21 p.m., before the fire was an estimated 5 to 7 acres and had a moderate rate of spread. Authorities closed Vega Road at San Miguel Canyon and Lewis roads shortly thereafter, with no one allowed back into the neighborhood.
As of 4 p.m., all residents within the endangered zone had been notified and no structures had been burned. One family opted to evacuate and the rest chose to shelter in place, according to Cal Fire BEU spokesman Josh Silveira. Firefighters had stopped the blaze’s forward progress at 7 acres and were holding it steady, with 20% containment, he said.
“Firefighters are working on direct line construction,” Silveira said. “It’s just kind of slow-going, given the density of the fuel where the fire’s at.”
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Residents along the 250 block of Hayes Road and from the zero to 200 blocks of Vega Road were asked to leave their homes. At 3:18 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office lifted the Hayes Road evacuation warning but expected the Vega Road warnings to remain overnight. An updated fire evacuation status map is available online at bit.ly/3YTPk9j.
The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. in heavy brush and eucalyptus understory. Initial fire agency responders included the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County and Cal Fire BEU.
A temporary evacuation point was established at the Prunedale Library, 17822 Moro Road, Prunedale.
For information, visit bit.ly/3QG9L7l.
