Eden Fire In Saratoga Fully Contained; Mountain Winery 'Not Impacted'

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA -- A 10-acre vegetation fire that started burning Monday afternoon in the vineyard-lined hills along the western edge of Saratoga is fully contained and fire crews were preparing to leave the area Thursday morning, according to a Santa Clara County Fire Department spokeswoman.

The Eden Fire, which never grew beyond 10 acres, was first reported at about 3:20 p.m. Monday off Highway 9, on Mt. Eden Road west of Pierce Road -- near Mountain Winery, a popular concert venue. Although no evacuations were ordered, residents along Mt. Eden Road were asked to shelter in place so that firefighting crews could move through the area with their equipment.

The terrain proved steep and hard to access, fire officials said. At its peak, some 150 firefighters were assigned to the blaze. That number went down to about 70 -- including crews from neighboring agencies in Gilroy, San Jose and Spring Valley -- once the forward rate of spread was stopped Tuesday.

There were no reports of structures destroyed or damaged by the blaze. However, the fire did result in a prolonged loss of power and water service to six residences. When the power went out the families also lost water service because pumps for the water would no longer work. Their utilities were restored by Tuesday afternoon.

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Full containment of the fire was reached at about 5 p.m. Wednesday and crews began making final preparations to clear the area, fire spokeswoman Luisa Rapport said.

The cause of the fire will remain undetermined, but there is no indication that it was a case of arson, fire officials said.

An investigation was continuing into an incident early in the firefight involving a recreational drone seen flying over the area. The drone, which was later recovered by fire officials, prompted a fire helicopter to be grounded as a precaution. The helicopter crew missed making three drops as a result.

"That impeded operations and put firefighters at risk," said Chief Fire Investigator Ryan Cronin said. "Their operations really hamper our activities."

In a statement on its website, Mountain Winery said it was not impacted and thanked firefighters for their efforts. All scheduled concerts and shows are continuing as planned, the winery said.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo via Santa Clara County Fire Department/Twitter