Firefighters Douse Early Morning Forest Blaze at UCSC

Bay City News

Firefighters battled a wildfire on the University of California at Santa Cruz campus for nearly six hours Sunday morning, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.

  The fire was first reported at about 3:15 a.m. in an open area near Heller Drive and Meyer Drive, according to the fire department. The blaze burned about an acre of cut grass before spreading into a grove of redwood trees, some of which were around 90 feet tall, the fire department said.

  No structures were threatened and no one was injured, though flames damaged some of the redwoods, according to the fire department. The fire was contained by about 5 a.m. and was declared under control at about 9 a.m., the fire department said.

  The origin of the blaze was likely a campfire on the ground or in a hollowed out tree stump, officials said. No one was seen in the area at the time of the blaze.

  The case remains under investigation.