Bay City News
May 27, 2008
Summit Fire Reaches 80 Percent Containment, 4,270 Acres
Slowly but surely, the firefighters battling the Summit Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains since Thursday are getting the flames under control, according to a Cal Fire spokesman who Monday reported the fire to be 80 percent contained.
Although full containment still isn’t expected until tonight, spokesman Bob Davis said there were no additional buildings destroyed Monday. The count stands at 36 residences and 18 outbuildings burned and about 100 buildings threatened by the fire.
The blaze, which initially began around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, has consumed an estimated 4,270 acres and has left six people with minor injuries, Cal Fire spokesman Henry DeKruyff said.
The cost of fighting the Summit Fire has reached $9.25 million but firefighters expect to have the blaze controlled by Friday, DeKruyff said.
Several roads remained closed Monday as well. Summit, Eureka Canyon, Ormsby, Lower Highland and McPhee roads on the border of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are not open to the public, DeKruyff said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although fire officials were able to pinpoint that the blaze began in an area where Summit Road becomes Loma Prieta Avenue at the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz counties border.
Cal Fire updates on the blaze are available online.
Avoid Campaign Nets 433 DUI Arrests In Third Reporting Period
Bay Area law enforcement officials arrested 433 drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from midnight Friday through midnight Sunday, an avoid DUI campaign announced Monday.
The Bay Area Regional Avoid Program, which includes 125 police departments within the region, implemented a crackdown over Memorial Day weekend to help keep the roads safe.
Last year the Avoid campaign made 529 DUI arrests for the entire weekend, according to the program.
No fatal crashes have been attributed to a driver under the influence this holiday weekend, whereas last year five deaths occurred due to a drinking and driving incident, the campaign reported.
Roads Reopen To Residents Evacuated By Summit Fire
Five roads in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties reopened Monday after closing due to a wildland fire that has burned more than 4,000 acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains since Thursday.
Eureka Canyon Road between Rider and Ormsby roads, Hazel Dell, Buzzard Lagoon and Browns Valley roads became accessible to residents with proof of residency, such as a driver’s license, at 3 p.m., even though the Summit Fire is not fully contained, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents returning to those streets are urged to be cautious and drive slowly due to fire equipment and personnel in the area, the sheriff’s office reported.
Two roads remain closed in Santa Clara County due to the fire. Loma Prieta and Summit roads have not reopened, and Mt. Madonna County Park remains closed as well, according to the sheriff’s office. Those roads and the park may reopen today or Wednesday depending on the status of the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The Summit Fire has charred 4,270 acres and is 80 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. It is expected to be fully contained today and controlled Friday.
Pedestrian In Stable Condition After Morning Collision
A 60-year-old man who was struck by a vehicle that had collided with a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency bus Monday morning is in serious but stable condition, police said.
The crash occurred around 8:50 a.m. when a 12-Folsom line bus leaving the Muni terminal turned from Howard Street onto Embarcadero and collided with another vehicle, said Muni spokesman Judson True.
The vehicle subsequently struck a pedestrian, according to True.
The pedestrian was transported to San Francisco General Hospital in critical condition but has since been listed in stable condition, according to police.
The Muni bus involved in the crash was taken out of service for the day. No other lines or buses on the 12-Folsom line were affected by the crash, according to True.
The driver of the Muni bus will undergo drug testing and be placed on leave in compliance with routine administrative procedure following a crash.
CHP Identifies Driver Of Fatal Motorcycle Crash
The California Highway Patrol Monday released the name of a 49-year-old Oakville man who died after driving a motorcycle off a road and into a tree and fence in unincorporated Napa County near Yountville Sunday night.
Officers responded to the crash off Oakville Grade, west of state Highway 29, just after 8 p.m. Stephen Lloyd Ogle was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.
Ogle lost control of the 2006 Big Dog custom-built motorcycle for an unknown reason and began to slide as he approached a left curve in the roadway, according to the CHP.
The crash remains under investigation.
Chinese Restaurant Caves In During Fire
A Chinese restaurant’s ceiling collapsed Monday during a two-alarm fire that was controlled within a little over an hour, according to the Walnut Creek Fire Department.
The fire at Zheng Long Restaurant, 1448 S. Main St., was reported at 9:19 p.m. across the street from the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center.
The restaurant was being remodeled for the last two weeks before there was a partial ceiling collapse during the blaze, a dispatcher said.
The fire at the vacant building was under control by 10:32 p.m., she said.
Two Arrested In Connection With Grocery Store Robbery
Two suspects allegedly involved in the early Monday morning robbery of a Union City Food Maxx have been arrested, police said.
A report of the robbery came from an employee at the grocery store at about 4:55 a.m., according to the Union City Police Department.
The employee, who identified himself as a cashier, described the suspects as two men wearing all black and ski masks and armed with a shotgun and a handgun, police said.
A police officer detained the two men and their white truck after spotting them on Alvarado Niles near Medallion Drive.
The suspects, identified as Peter Lasu, 22, and David Cecena Espino, 20, were taken into custody after being positively identified by the victim and a witness. Police retrieved a shotgun and an undisclosed amount of money allegedly taken in the robbery from the vehicle.
Lasu, an employee at the Union City Food Maxx, admitted his involvement in the robbery, police said.
The suspects were booked on charges of robbery, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony.
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