smoke in the mountains
SMOKE PLUME - A half-acre fire was rapidly brought under control on Friday morning. (Alert California)

A fire that grew to a half-acre in the Santa Cruz Mountains was extinguished quickly Friday morning before it could threaten the nearby communities of Boulder Creek and Brookdale, authorities said.

The fire broke out before 6:30am, said Ben Lomond Fire Protection District Chief Stacie Brownlee, who notes Boulder Creek Fire Protection District was doing a smoke investigation at that time.

“They were already in the area looking for their smoke,” she said. “They wrapped a line around it immediately.”

BCFPD had an engine on scene; BLFPD sent three.

Cal Fire CZU was also on location.

The agency was responsible for the incident response—as it was in the State Responsibility Area.

It’s been busy this summer helping put out wildfires across California.

“We’re supporting incidents around the state,” said Cal Fire CZU spokesperson Cecile Juliette. “But we’re also keeping the necessary resources at our home base as well.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Brownlee has her suspicions about what happened.

She said there was a truck that went up in flames.

“They had a fully-involved vehicle…sounds like it possibly started the wildland fire and then it spread,” she said.

Logging was underway in the area, she added.

Firefighters noted seeing several vehicles and a tractor, as well as hearing multiple explosions.

No injuries were reported.

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Drew Penner is an award-winning Canadian journalist whose reporting has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Good Times Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Times, Scotts Valley Press Banner, San Diego Union-Tribune, KCRW and the Vancouver Sun. Please send your Los Gatos and Santa Cruz County news tips to [email protected].

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