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Wildland fire chars open space land near Page Mill Road

A car accident sparked the blaze in the area of Page Mill Road and Skyline Boulevard

A fire started by a car that spread into the wild lands was burning near Monte Bello Open Space Preserve on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Photo courtesy of PG&E.

Firefighters battled a brush fire on Midpeninsula Regional Open Space land Tuesday, according to an alert from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire).

The blaze, which was started by a non-injury vehicle accident and spread into Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lands, was called in at about 3:49 p.m. Sept. 12 and spread to about a quarter acre, according to Cal Fire. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.

A fire in the Skyline Boulevard and Page Mill Road area on Tuesday, Sept.12 was ignited by a car involved in a non-injury accident. Screenshot taken from video posted by Cal Fire CZU.

The fire was spreading north at a slow rate in the location of Skyline Boulevard and Page Mill Road in an area east of Skyline, said Ethan Petersen, San Mateo County Fire and Cal Fire battalion chief. Rangers evacuated and closed Russian Ridge Preserve out of an abundance of caution. Cal Fire asked that people avoid the area until it declares it is safe.

Petersen said the fire was on steep terrain and was wind-driven.

Responding agencies included San Mateo County Fire, Palo Alto Fire Cal Fire CZU, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space, Kings Mountain Fire, Woodside Fire, La Honda Fire and CHP Redwood City. A helicopter water drop was being used to douse the head of the fire, according to dispatch reports.

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At 4:30 p.m., the Palo Alto Fire Department set up a staging area at Alpine Road, and the fire's progression was stopped at 4:39 p.m.

As of Tuesday evening, crews were in the mop-up stage, Cal Fire said.

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Sue Dremann
 
Sue Dremann is a veteran journalist who joined the Palo Alto Weekly in 2001. She is a breaking news and general assignment reporter who also covers the regional environmental, health and crime beats. Read more >>

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Wildland fire chars open space land near Page Mill Road

A car accident sparked the blaze in the area of Page Mill Road and Skyline Boulevard

by / Palo Alto Weekly

Uploaded: Tue, Sep 12, 2023, 5:02 pm
Updated: Tue, Sep 12, 2023, 7:07 pm

Firefighters battled a brush fire on Midpeninsula Regional Open Space land Tuesday, according to an alert from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire).

The blaze, which was started by a non-injury vehicle accident and spread into Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lands, was called in at about 3:49 p.m. Sept. 12 and spread to about a quarter acre, according to Cal Fire. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.

The fire was spreading north at a slow rate in the location of Skyline Boulevard and Page Mill Road in an area east of Skyline, said Ethan Petersen, San Mateo County Fire and Cal Fire battalion chief. Rangers evacuated and closed Russian Ridge Preserve out of an abundance of caution. Cal Fire asked that people avoid the area until it declares it is safe.

Petersen said the fire was on steep terrain and was wind-driven.

Responding agencies included San Mateo County Fire, Palo Alto Fire Cal Fire CZU, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space, Kings Mountain Fire, Woodside Fire, La Honda Fire and CHP Redwood City. A helicopter water drop was being used to douse the head of the fire, according to dispatch reports.

At 4:30 p.m., the Palo Alto Fire Department set up a staging area at Alpine Road, and the fire's progression was stopped at 4:39 p.m.

As of Tuesday evening, crews were in the mop-up stage, Cal Fire said.

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