Fremont Evacuation Warning Remains In Effect

Editor's note: Evacuation warnings east of Fremont were canceled Tuesday evening. Read more here.

FREMONT, CA — The tense uncertainty that thousands of Fremont residents have been under because of Evacuation Warnings from Cal Fire ratcheted up Monday evening when Cal Fire released an incident update for the SCU Lightning Complex Fire at 7 p.m. It said that the warning was now an evacuation order.

Both the Fremont Fire and Fremont Police departments were quick to respond to the report, saying that Cal Fire had made a mistake and no evacuation order has been issued.

Residents of the Mission San Jose, Mission Hills, and Vineyards/Avalon neighborhoods, including Ohlone College are all in the Evacuation Warning zone, notifying them that they may have to flee from the monster wildfire that's been burning for more than a week.

The corrected update contains the upbeat news that containment of the fire has grown to 15-percent. The fire has also grown to more than 360,055 acres, from 347,196 acres earlier in the day.

Evacuation Warnings are issued when there is a potential threat to life and property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately, while everyone else should prepare.

Evacuation Orders are issued when there is an immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.

There is no estimate of when the fire will be fully contained. Jake Hess, Cal Fire Unit Chief said during a 3 p.m. briefing on Monday, "We are essentially living in a mega-fire era. These significant events have been outpacing themselves every year. Through is marathon we’re going to have good days and we’re going to have bad days, but we’re going to put this fire to bed.”

There are have been at least 5 injuries, 12 structures destroyed, 12 minor structures destroyed, and 5 structures damaged. There are more than 1300 firefighters on fire lines and in the air battling the blazes.

If you have trouble visualizing how large 360,000 acres is, it is more than 560-square-miles. The City of Fremont is slightly under 90-square-miles, so the fire has burned an area six-times the size of Fremont.

Here is a screenshot of the evacuation map provided by the City of Fremont. If you are in the evacuation zone, view the map on the City's website. The map is interactive and you may type in your address to see if you are in the zone or close to it.

Anyone in the warning area should have a bag packed with the following:

• wallet
• purse
• keys
• cell phones and chargers, laptop computers
• emergency cash and credit cards
• pets, carriers, leashes, pet food
• hearing aids
• glasses
• medication
• critical documents including insurance policies, passports, birth certificates
• financial information, checkbook
• clothes for 3 days or more

If you are ordered to leave, the City requests that you use major roads including Mission Boulevard, Paseo Padre Parkway, and Warm Springs Boulevard. The Fremont Police Department will be on hand to direct you out of the evacuation zone.

The Tesla assembly plant, Fremont's largest employer, is not in the warning zone.

If you have family or friends with whom you can stay, contact them now to make arrangements. If not, a temporary short-term evacuation site will be in the parking at the softball fields at Central Park on Stevenson Boulevard. City staff will be there to give you further information and provide you with the resources needed including the location of an evacuation shelter or hotel resources.

If you have time before evacuation, Cal Fire recommends that you make a last-minute inventory for insurance purposes:

Make A Home Inventory

Recovery is easier if you have an accurate home inventory. Document the contents of your home before a fire occurs. Use your smartphone to video your belongings. Keep your inventory and photos outside your home or in the cloud.

1. Video or photograph each room of your home.Remember to document drawers and closets.
2. Describe your home’s contents in your video. Mention the price you paid, where and when you bought the item.
3. Remember to note important or expensive items.Video your electronics, appliances, sports equipment, TVs, computers, tablets.
4. Save receipts for major purchases. Store key documents in the cloud or a fireproof case. Keep home inventory offsite or in the cloud.
5. Video the Garage: Don’t forget to video or photograph what is inside your garage.

Find more tips on Cal Fire's website.

Related:

• SCU Lightning Complex Firefighters Can't Accept Donations