Firefighters Averted Disaster Extinguishing SR-17 Blaze

LOS GATOS, CA — A brush fire was quickly extinguished Sunday afternoon off State Route 17 south of Lark Avenue, the Santa Clara County Fire Department reported.

Firefighters averted a threatening situation in a highly wooded area by jumping on the incident called in about 2:30 p.m. and contained the eighth-acre blaze in 20 minutes. Two structures on nearby Frank Avenue were threatened at one point.

No one was hurt.

The California Highway Patrol temporarily shut down the highway between Lark Avenue and Highway 9. SR-17 serves as a major connection between Santa Cruz and the South Bay.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. And although the cause has not been determined, county fire officials took the opportunity to warn motorists to not discard cigarettes out of their vehicles or drag trailer chains — especially in dangerously dry and hot conditions.