Two fires in the Aromas hills on July 21 caused dozens of residents to be evacuated to Anzar High School in San Juan Bautista. A quick response by Cal Fire was augmented by residents who had prepared for possible wildfires by creating defensible spaces around their homes. As of 8:30 a.m. on July 22, Cal Fire said the fire at that time covered about 101 acres and was 25% contained.
“The fire started around 2:45 p.m [July 21] ,” said Cal Fire Fire Captain Curtis Rhodes. “We had multiple reports of smoke in the area of the GraniteRock quarry. We started a medium wildland response out there. The first unit reported approximately an acre to three acres with a rapid rate of spread through grass and brush. We requested two additional strike teams, two additional tankers and three additional helicopters at that time.”
Rhodes said the fire spread as it picked up speed due to the wind, began to threaten homes in the area and, by 7:15 p.m., covered approximately 86 acres.
“It got up into the crowns of the eucalyptus trees,” he said. “It spotted over Anzar Road, and on the north side of Anzar, began to run through the houses. Four structures were threatened and we did have damage to one structure.”
Around 8:15 p.m., Rhodes reported that there was still an active fire on the north side of Anzar Road and that everyone who wanted to be evacuated from the area had been brought to Anzar High School, though some residents stayed behind to defend their homes.
The evacuation, according to Rhodes, was hampered by the eucalyptus trees on the roadway.
“Eucalyptus is a problem anyway,” he said. “It sheds a lot, and once that catches fire with the wind on it, it carries it quickly. The trees also have shallow roots, and we had about 60 trees fall across the roadway.”
Despite the chaos in the hills, the scene at Anzar was relatively calm. Around 50 people who were evacuated were either sitting in their cars or gathered in groups, talking about their situation.
Members of the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department, Hollister Animal Services and the Red Cross welcomed the evacuees at the high school. The process of setting up the emergency station began with calls to Aromas/San Juan Superintendent Michelle Huntoon.
“Anzar High School has now deployed as an evacuation center, and we are ready to serve our community,” Huntoon said. “The Sheriff’s Department came by, and we started getting things prepared and moving. And we have people bringing in even more supplies, including the San Benito Food Bank. This is a wonderful community that comes together in times of need.”
The high school is one of many locations where the Red Cross strategically stores emergency supplies, so there were enough supplies on hand, including cots and blankets, to turn the school’s gym into a shelter, if need be.
Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Patsy Garza, who was coordinating the relief operation on-site, said that she heard about the fire about half an hour after it started and got to work immediately.
“As soon as I got the call, we started putting things on standby,” she said. “There was not a lot of information because it was fast moving. We set things up with Anzar High School and had a secondary site chosen if this was unavailable. But this site can hold about 500 people, and we have plenty of parking for support along with access from the freeway to get additional resources in.”
San Juan Bautista Mayor Leslie Jordan and her son Tyler brought food and drinks for everyone assembled at the school.
“I have to say I am very impressed by everyone I see out here helping,” she said. “I called Superintendent Hutoon to see if there was anything I could do to help. She told me everything was taken care of. I texted her back saying, ‘Pizza, water, coffee?’ and she said, ‘Great!’”
While first responders and evacuated residents lined up for a slice of pizza, Huntoon reflected on the silver lining to a situation like this.
“This is a wonderful community that comes together in times of need,” she said. “It is heartbreaking that our families have to go through this, but we are all here to support one another, and that is the positive here. ”
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