Firefighters battling Canyon Zone Fire near Patterson struggle with heat, rugged terrain
Here’s the latest on the Del Puerto Canyon ==> Windy conditions spread fire in Del Puerto Canyon, bring ash and smoke to Modesto area
Original story:
Hot weather and rugged terrain hampered firefighters’ efforts Tuesday against a wildfire, which may have been sparked by lightning, west of Patterson.
Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies conducted mandatory evacuations Monday afternoon along Del Puerto Canyon Road and later advised nearby Diablo Grande residents to leave as the wildfire burned in the canyon.
The fire is part of what Cal Fire is calling the Lightning Complex, more than a dozen wildfires that had burned 25,000 acres with 0% containment as of Tuesday morning. The Del Puerto Canyon fire is part of Canyon Zone fires, which have consumed 20,000 of the 25,000 acres.
Cal Fire said there were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services spokesman Raj Singh said the roughly half-dozen deputies notified five properties along Del Puerto Canyon Road from mile markers 12 to 15 before their work was stopped by fire. He said the properties were set far back from the road, adding to the challenge. He said in one case, a home was about two miles from the road.
Singh said Santa Clara County deputies, who were evacuating residents from the west, were notified about where Stanislaus deputies had to stop. He did not know how many residents got out. He said deputies were focused on notifying as many properties as possible in difficult circumstances.
Later Monday, about 18 Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department officers, from deputies to Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, notified 703 homes in Diablo Grande about an advisory evacuation for their resort community in the foothills near the canyon. Singh said residents took the advice and left, while others packed their cars and were ready to leave in an instant if it became necessary.
“There were people packed up and leaving,” Singh said. “Lots of people were loading up and ready to go. It was good to see that.”
‘It burns fast and it burns quick’
Firefighters are battling the wildfires in rugged, steep terrain and during a record-breaking heat wave. The Del Puerto Canyon wildfire is especially challenging.
“There is not a lot of wooded area,” said Singh, who is assistant fire chief of the Keyes Fire Protection District, a volunteer agency with about 30 firefighters. “It’s dry grass and shrub. It burns fast and it burns quick.”
Singh said the canyon has few hiking trails and roads, making access difficult along with the canyon’s rugged terrain. He said the prolonged heat wave doesn’t help, and not just because of daytime highs of more than 100 degrees. He said the nighttime temperatures, which have been in the high 70s and low 80s, also hurt.
Nighttime temperatures typically are in the low 60s in August in the Modesto area. Singh said firefighters use the cooler nights to make progress against the wildfires. The prolonged daytime and nighttime heat also takes its toll on firefighters, who can be carrying 50 to 60 pounds of gear and equipment with them, according to Singh.
Singh speaks from experience. He was among the firefighters assigned to a Del Puerto Canyon wildfire in July 2006. He was with the Turlock Rural Fire Protection District then. He said he spent about a week on the fire. The weather was hot, dry and windy. “It was very similar conditions,” Singh said.
Fire within three miles of Diablo Grande
Singh said deputies are providing additional patrols in the area while the wildfire threat continues, supplementing Diablo Grande’s security guards.
Patterson Mayor Deborah Novelli said the Del Puerto Canyon fire was within about three miles from Diablo Grande on Tuesday. She said a couple of her friends had decided to stay in their homes, but said sheriff’s deputies had collected their names and birthdates while knocking on doors Monday.
Besides the Hampton Inn in Patterson offering discounts to fire evacuees, Novelli said the local Starbucks and Pizza Plus in Newman have donated coffee and food to firefighters. And residents of Newman, Patterson and Diablo Grande have donated meals, she said.
“I’m proud of the community, and I appreciate the businesses reaching out,” Novelli said.
Singh said the American Red Cross set up an evacuation center Monday at Creekside Middle School in Patterson. But the Red Cross closed the center Monday night after no evacuees showed up, according to a Red Cross spokeswoman. But the center could reopen if there is a need.
Authorities also have closed Del Puerto Canyon Road where it changes to Sperry Avenue, just east of Interstate 5 and near Patterson.
Wildfires in Bay Area
Singh did not know Tuesday how many Del Puerto Canyon and Diablo Grande residents have left their homes. He said Diablo Grande remains under an advisory evacuation.
Besides the Canyon Zone fires, the Lightning Complex includes the Deer Zone fires in Contra Costa County and the Calaveras Zone fires in Santa Clara, Alameda and Stanislaus counties.
Cal Fire reported the wildfires started Sunday. And while the causes remain under investigation, the fires started after a series of lightning strikes. Cal Fire reported that 522 personnel were assigned to the wildfires, with most of them working the Canyon Zone fires.
These fires are among the wildfires burning across California as it and much of the West Coast broils under the heat wave.
Bee staff writer Kristin Lam contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 3:00 PM.
