Aug. 31 fire watch for San Benito County

Several regional fires surrounding San Benito County continue to burn as of Aug. 31. There are no fires, evacuation orders or warnings for San Benito as of Aug. 31.

The fires include:

River Fire in Salinas—48,088 acres and 95% contained as of 7:37 a.m.
- Four confirmed personnel and civilian injuries reported. The fire has destroyed 30 structures.
- Resources: There are 576 personnel assigned to this fire, zero helicopters, 37 engines, five dozers and seven water tenders.
Carmel Fire in Monterey County—6,905 acres and 97% contained as of 7:28 a.m.
- The fire has destroyed 73 structures.
- Resources: There are 225 personnel assigned to this fire, zero helicopters, 21 engines, three dozers and four water tenders.
CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz/San Mateo—84,640 acres and 39% contained as of 11 a.m.
- One fatality reported and one injury reported
- The fire has destroyed 1,361 structures.
- Resources: There are 2,431personnel assigned to this fire, 12 helicopters, 209 engines, 10 dozers and 32 water tenders.
SCU Lightning Complex in Santa Clara/Alameda/Contra Costa/San Joaquin/Stanislaus counties—383,157 acres and 60% contained as of 11:48 a.m.
- Three first responder injuries and two civilian injuries reported. The fire has destroyed 40 structures.
- Resources: There are 1,934 personnel assigned to this fire, nine helicopters, 233 engines, 27 dozers and 40 water tenders.
- This fire is currently under investigation.
- This is 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 north of the county line in Santa Clara County. Check the Cal Fire Evacuation Map to view the affected areas (yellow is an evacuation warning, red is an evacuation 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 quality for Aug. 31 is listed as good in Hollister as of 5:39 p.m.