Summit Fire

Infobox wildfire
title= Summit Fire


caption=NASA satellite photo from May 22,2008 showing the smoke plumes.
location= Santa Cruz Mountains
date= May 22, 2008 - May 27, 2008
time=
timezone=
acres= 4,270 acres
source= Under Investigationcite web
url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=263
title=Summit Fire Incident Information:
publisher=Ca.gov
date=
accessdate=2008-05-22]
landuse= Mixed, residential and wildlands
fatalities=
injuries=
perps=
motive= The Summit Fire was a wildfire that started on May 22, 2008 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Corralitos, California, United States. The fire was fully contained on May 27, 2008.cite news | url=http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_9350152 | title=Summit Fire victim: 'We're getting out of here' | date=2008-05-22 | work=San Jose Mercury News | author=Joe Rodriguez | accessdate=2008-05-22 ] No injuries or fatalities occurred, with the exception of twelve firefighters who received minors sprains, cuts and strains.

The fire prompted mandatory evacuations of homes in the area. Several elementary, middle, and high school were closed following the fire. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Cruz County.cite web
url=http://www.ksbw.com/news/16361951/detail.html
title=Gov. Declared State Of Emergency For Santa Cruz County
publisher=KSBW
date=
accessdate=2008-05-22] The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The fire has approached the area 2 miles to the east which was consumed in October 2002 - the Croy Fire.

Evacuations

The fire affected Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties. Approximately 1,400 homes were evacuated. Of them 336 were mandatory. More than 2900 firefighters fought the fire.cite news | url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9383007 | title=Cooler weather helps firefighting effort | date=2008-05-26 | work=San Jose Mercury News | author=Leslie Griffy | accessdate=2008-05-26 ] Residents were ordered to evacuate the area shortly before 3 PM. The fire also affected Maymens Flat, a tiny community of fewer than ten homes.

Response

A state of emergency was declared by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He excused himself during a meeting with presidential candidate John McCain to comment on the fire.cite web
url=http://www.kcba.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4acd4f6d-523a-4da1-ac0e-5ad2cfab1adc
title=Summit Fire has burned between 2,500 to 3,000 acres in Santa Cruz Mountains
publisher=KCBA
date=
accessdate=2008-05-22]

References