Sunol Marsh Fire: More Evacuations Ordered; 1,775 Acres Burned

Editor's note: Find Tuesday's story on the fires here.

SUNOL, CA — Fires burning near Sunol have scorched 1,775 acres, prompting evacuations of Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park Monday.

The Marsh Fire is a "complex fire" comprised of four East Bay fires burning within miles of each other, according to Alameda County Fire. The Sunol fires first sparked around 1:30 p.m. Sunday and grew to 850 acres by 6 p.m. Evacuations were ordered Sunday for about 10 homes on Welch Creek Road, about four miles southeast of Sunol.

Crews are battling a fire in Santa Clara County, east of the Calaveras Reservoir, near the Alameda County border.

They continue to battle a fire atop the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park near the Sunol Ridge Trail/Kilkare Woods area, first reported Sunday evening in the 37000 block of Palomares Road.

Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park was evacuated Monday around 3:20 p.m. and closed, according to the East Bay Regional Park District. The city of Pleasanton closed all access points to Pleasanton Ridge, including through Augustin Bernal Park.

Residents of Kilkare Canyon in Sunol were ordered to evacuate at 12:30 p.m. Monday as the wildfire approached, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. A shelter has been established at Residence Inn (5200 Wolf House Road, Livermore), between the San Francisco Premium Outlets and Tri-Valley Golf Center.

The evacuation order was soon downgraded to a warning after Cal Fire successfully mitigated the threat thanks to aerial firefighting efforts, the sheriff's office said.

Firefighters believe residents below the ridge should be safe. No fires are threatening Pleasanton, the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department said.

Residents of surrounding areas reported poor quality due to smoke in the region.

In Contra Costa County, firefighters battled the Deer Complex Fire, which has grown to roughly 1,200 acres and prompted evacuations.

On Sunday, firefighters also battled fires near Highway 680 at the Andrade Road exit and off of Calaveras Road.

Firefighters from Alameda County, Cal Fire, Livermore-Pleasanton Fire, Fremont, Palo Alto and Oakland battled the blaze. They worked through the night.

#marshcreekcomplex FF’s are on scene of 3 vegetation fires in the area of Calaveras Rd and Welch Creek Rd in Sunol. The fires are currently at approx 850 acres with 0% containment. Mandatory evacuations are taking place for residents on Welch creek road affecting approx 10 homes pic.twitter.com/TE80NTCXGh
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) August 17, 2020

See Also:

• 2,500 Lightning Strikes, More To Come In Bay Area: SEE
• Livermore Brush Fire Burns 50 Acres, Cal Fire Says