San Mateo County Sheriff's
Mounted Search & Rescue Unit

Summit Fire Santa Cruz Mountains

On May 22, 2008 at 05:12 a wild fire was reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the area of Mt. Madonna / Summit Road and Maymens Flat Road moving southwesterly toward Corralitos and Watsonville/ Eureka Canyon in Santa Cruz County, affecting an area in of 4,000 acres just North East to the site of the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. The Governor declared a state of emergency on 15:10.

This is a multi-agency mutual aid event and on 14:45 San Mateo County MSAR was requested for Large Animal Rescue through OES. At about 20:30 San Mateo County MSAR was officially deactivated for this incident. Eight members of the MSAR unit where down in Santa Cruz helping with large animal evacuation efforts.

On April 23, 2008 AM Santa Cruz Animal Services said that at this time they are ok and they do not need any more trailers. Their current plan of action is to send out all their Animal Control Officers into the field, go door to door, and see if everyone is ok. Also, they needed at this time people to care for all the evacuated animals at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds and they will divert some of the volunteers to some of the other temporary holding areas. They are also in desperate need for all types of feed for horses and livestock and dogs, cats etc.

On April 26 horses are being brought back to their owners and pastures as the situation permits and the operation is scaling down with the fire about 70% contained.

On April 28, 2008 the Summit Fire was declared 100% contained. It consumed 4,000 acres.