Aug. 25 fire watch for San Benito County

Several regional fires surrounding San Benito County continue to burn as of Aug. 25. There are currently no evacuation orders or warnings for San Benito.

The fires include:

River Fire in Salinas—48,424 acres and 33% contained as of 8:28 a.m.
- Four confirmed personnel and civilian injuries reported. The fire has destroyed 21 structures.
- Resources: There are 1,278 personnel assigned to this fire, five helicopters, 93 engines, 26 dozers and 17 water tenders.
Carmel Fire in Monterey County—6,695 acres and 30% contained as of 2:30 p.m.
- The fire has destroyed 51 structures.
- Resources: There are 906 personnel assigned to this fire, five helicopters, 108 engines, 32 dozers and 22 water tenders.
Hills Fire in Fresno County—2,121 acres and 100% containment as of 7:13 p.m. on 8/24
- One fatality reported.
- Resources: There are 143 personnel assigned to this fire, four dozers and four water tenders.
CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz/San Mateo—78,869 acres and 17% contained as of 2:55 p.m.
- One fatality reported.
- The fire has destroyed 330 structures.
- Resources: There are 1,611 personnel assigned to this fire, nine helicopters, 167 engines, 18 dozers and 37 water tenders.
SCU Lightning Complex in Santa Clara/Alameda/Contra Costa/San Joaquin/Stanislaus counties—363,772 acres and 15% contained as of 2:06 p.m.
- Three first responder injuries and two civilian injuries reported. The fire has destroyed 18 structures.
- Resources: There are 1,393 personnel assigned to this fire, five helicopters, 162 engines, 40 dozers and 42 water tenders.
- This fire is currently under investigation.
- This is now the second largest fire in California’s recorded history.

More information is available at the Cal Fire Incidents web page.

The SCU Lightning Complex Fire is the closest to San Benito County, with an evacuation warning just north of the county line in Santa Clara County. Check the Cal Fire Evacuation Map to view the affected areas (yellow is an evac warning, red is an evac order).

Police and fire representatives—including those from the Hollister Fire Department and San Benito Sheriff’s Office—meet several times a day to look at the risk of the fire for neighboring communities. The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office provides updates on Facebook.

For information on how to prepare for a wildfire, visit Cal Fire’s Ready for Wildfire website.

Fire Updates

Cal Fire Incidents

Cal Fire Evacuation Map

Cal Fire Facebook

Cal Fire BEU Facebook and Twitter (San Benito/Monterey Unit)

Cal Fire SCU Facebook and Twitter (Santa Clara Unit)

Cal Fire SZU Facebook (San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit)

Cal Fire/Fresno County Fire Facebook

Check Cal Fire Facebook pages for daily live updates.

Air Quality

Air for Aug. 25 is listed as good as of 4 p.m.