Gilroy SCU Lightening Complex Fire Update August 23, 2020

From the City of Gilroy:

August 20, 2020

The National Weather Service has provided a weather update with erratic, gusty winds and dry lightning starting in our area around 3:00 PM today and predicting that this weather pattern will markedly pick up around 6:00 PM this evening.

As of this morning at 7:00 AM the SCU Lightning Complex Fire was 10% contained and had 1,232 personnel, 133 engines, 30 bulldozers, and 4 helicopters working to contain the fire.

CalFire has announced that they will be holding a press conference today, August 23 at 4:00 PM to provide an overview of the fire, upcoming weather, and evacuation orders. Additionally, CalFire personnel have been located outside Gilroy Walmart and Target to provide information to our community.

A CalFire Spike Camp has been set up at Christmas Hill Park to assist with the SCU firefighting efforts and the Ranch Side of Christmas Hill Park is now CLOSED to the public until further notice.

Evacuation Orders and Warnings for our area continue to be located on the far east side of Gilroy. Please refer to the CalFire Evacuation Map for details. Evacuation Orders and Warnings are issued to protect the safety of you, your family, and our community and to allow critical infrastructure workers, including firefighters, access to remote areas. If you are in an Evacuation Order area, please evacuate now. If you are in an Evacuation Warning area, please plan ahead and make preparations to evacuate.

The Gilroy Fire Department continues to assist in firefighting efforts with three engines and eleven firefighters deployed to the regional efforts while maintaining enhanced staffing within the City. The City is actively engaged with the County and CalFire and is tracking developments and continuing planning efforts to ensure the safety of our community.

Resources:

• Evacuation Resource Center: Ann Sobrato High School located at 401 Burnett Ave., Morgan Hill CA 95037
• Reduced Hotel Rates are Available for Evacuees and Fire Victims through "San Jose Cares"
• County of Santa Clara EOC Wildfire Hotline: 408-808-7778
• CalFire Evacuation Map
• Santa Clara County Community Information, Resources and Updates
• CalFire Incident Page with Up to Date Information Regarding Local Fires
• AirNow Interactive Map Showing Current Air Quality in the Bay Area

This press release was produced by the City of Gilroy. The views expressed here are the author’s own.