The big fear now for firefighters battling the Martin fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains is that the blaze will creep eastward into the steep, heavily wooded canyons.
Cal Fire spokesman Paul Van Gerwen said today that if the fire sweeps through the Laguna Creek area, it will be immensely difficult to beat back the flames and smoke because of the terrain and thick vegetation in that area. At about 10 a.m., the fire was heading south, roughly parallel to the canyon.
Firefighters have contained 5 percent of the fire, which was reported Wednesday about 3 p.m. on Martin Road in the Bonny Doon area of Santa Cruz County. It's consumed at least 700 acres and forced the evacuation of 1,500 residents. No injuries have been reported, and firefighters have not yet released how many homes or buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Van Gerwen said he had no idea when the fire would be fully contained.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning declared a state of emergency in Santa Cruz County due to the Martin fire.
Taken from my deck in Ben Lomond. Our home backs up to where the Quail Hollow fire was a week or so
Jeanie Howard
4 Miles Away, Tinkers Trail, Boulder Creek
From Tom Pepper 5:30 PM PDT
From The Boardwalk 6PM
Christine King
Red Cross Shelter Moving To Scotts Valley
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Media Contact: Lindsay Segersin, Santa Cruz County Chapter Phone: (920) 246-0738 Email: lsegersin@sccredcross.org |
| MEDIA ALERT
AMERICAN RED CROSS MOVES MARTIN FIRE SHELTER LOCATION New Shelter: Scotts Valley Middle School
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SAN JOSE, CALIF. – June 12 , 2008 – Due to a shift in wind direction and thick smoke now clogging the air around San Lorenzo Valley Middle School, the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter is moving the shelter for evacuees of the Martin Fire to Scotts Valley Middle School, 8 Bean Creek Road, in Scotts Valley. The American Red Cross Santa Clara Cruz County Chapter will be providing food, shelter and counseling until evacuated residents are allowed to return to their homes or until alternative housing is available.
Any residents who are unable to remain safely in their homes may evacuate to the Red Cross shelter. For up-to-date information on shelter locations, contact the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter at (831) 462-2881.
Residents should contact CAL FIRE at (831) 335-6717 or (831) 335-6718 for information on whether their homes are in an evacuation area.
The Santa Cruz Animal Services Authority is available to assist in evacuating livestock and domesticated animals. People needing assistance moving livestock or sheltering pets should call 831-454-7303 and press 1.
Wednesday night, the American Red Cross housed 30 people overnight in the shelter at San Lorenzo Valley Middle School. 51 evacuees had registered with the Red Cross, but many chose to spend the night with family or friends.
All Red Cross disaster assistance is FREE, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help people affected by local disasters, such as the Martin Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains, by making a financial gift to the local Chapter’s disaster relief fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of local disasters. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation.
In the Santa Cruz area, financial donations for the Red Cross Local Disaster Relief Fund are also being accepted at all Santa Cruz County Bank locations. Donations will help the relief efforts for the Bonny Doon/Martin Fire and the continuing efforts related to the Summit Fire.
Living in California means living with wildfires!
- American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter – www.redcrossbayarea.org - American Red Cross Carmel Area Chapter – www.arccarmel.org - American Red Cross Monterey-San Benito Counties Chapter – www.montereyarc.org - American Red Cross Palo Alto Area Chapter – www.paarc.org - American Red Cross Santa Clara Valley Chapter – www.santaclaravalley.redcross.org - American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter – www.sccredcross.org - American Red Cross Sonoma & Mendocino Counties – www.arcsm.org - American Red Cross Silverado-Napa Chapter – www.silveradonapa.redcross.org
The American Red Cross helps people in the greater Bay Area and Central Coast prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Residents in the region are supported by a collaboration of chapters, including the Bay Area Chapter, the Carmel Area Chapter, the Monterey-San Benito Counties Chapter, the Palo Alto Area Chapter, the Santa Clara Valley Chapter, the Santa Cruz County Chapter and the Sonoma & Mendocino Counties Chapter, who mobilize relief to families affected by disasters and train thousands of people in life-saving and preparedness skills each year. For more information about the Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org. |
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Cynthia Shaw
Director of Communication, Marketing & Government Relations
American Red Cross
Santa Clara Valley Chapter
2731 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95134
(408) 577-2115 (p)
(408) 666-6857(c)
(408) 577-2050 (f)
Be Red Cross Ready: Make a Plan, Build a Kit and Get Trained.
For more information on how, visit www.scv-redcross.org
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