Little Fire in East Bay: Crews Halt Spread, No Structures Damaged, Pleasanton Mayor Says
Fire crews are continuing to fight a wildfire in Alameda County Wednesday morning, after halting the forward spread of the blaze overnight.
The Little Fire, which has reached just over 1,000 acres, is 40% contained, according to Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit spokesperson Raul Medina.
Medina said that evacuation zones in an area east of Interstate 680 and south of Pleasanton, PLS-081 and PLS-103, were downgraded to advisories Wednesday morning. Other evacuation orders, issued for parts of Sunol, were lifted throughout Tuesday night.
“As we wake up this morning, we find ourselves grateful that no structures have been reported lost and that evacuation orders have been lifted for many population areas,” Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch wrote in a statement on Facebook Wednesday morning.
At the incident’s peak, he said, evacuation orders affected more than 10,800 people and 3,282 structures, including in Sunol and around Ruby Hill in Pleasanton.
The Little Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., and grew to 950 acres by just after 6:30 p.m. Fire crews began to contain the blaze in the evening, and were able to thwart forward progress late Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said crews were strengthening containment lines.
According to Balch, Pleasanton stood down its Emergency Operations Center around midnight after the evacuation orders were lifted. He said some residents stayed at the Pleasanton Senior Center overnight.
“I was extremely concerned and worried,” Balch said. “We have seen fast-moving fires throughout the state. Humidity was low, temperatures were high, the area is grassland principally, but the trees and the dry brush catching [was a] significant concern.
“Frankly, [that’s] the reason [for] so much gratitude this morning,” he continued.
During the incident, a Cal Fire engine rolled over, injuring one firefighter, who was transported to a hospital. Medina said he was treated for minor injuries before being released.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
KQED’s Joseph Geha contributed to this report.