(Photo) Santa Cruz Near Boony Doon On Fire Again

santa cruz fire boony doon fire

A huge wildfire near the town of Bonny Doon, in the Santa Cruz Mountains 70 miles south of San Francisco, threatened homes Wednesday night and into Thursday morning (August 13) as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control.

Local media reported that over 250 homes had been evacuated as the fire spread. According to local news reports, leaping flames from Santa Cruz fire could be seen from Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, approximately 100 miles away.

A reverse 911 system was activated to warn area residents of evacuation orders and sheriffs went door-to-door, but officials expressed concern they may not be able to reach all residents in time.

California Fire Battalion Chief Jim Crawford estimated 300 firefighters were combating the flames at about 10:15 p.m. local time and said more fire crews were en route from as far away as Santa Barbara.

In 2008, a fire in the same area of Bonny Doon forced the evacuation of some 1,500 residents.

Santa Cruz and Bonny Doon are located about 70 miles south of San Francisco.

As of 12:30am Thursday, the fire was heading towards the coastal town of Davenport, and authorities were considering further evacuations.