Firefighters mopped up the remains of a fast-moving grass and brush fire this morning in the foothills of South San Jose after knocking down a blaze overnight that spawned 100-foot flames and threatened homes and major power lines.
The fire blackened nearly 500 acres in the Basking Ridge neighborhood between Silver Creek Valley and Coyote Valley, just east of Highway 101. The fire started near dozens of some homes shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday and quickly spread to the southeast, pushed by winds that might have blown the flames right into the homes had they been from a slightly different direction.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the San Jose Fire Department attacked the flames with bulldozers, a helicopter that scooped up water from a nearby lake and dozens of firefighters. At about 5:45 p.m., about 10 firefighters who could be seen on a ridge off Piercy Road were dwarfed by angry-looking orange flames.
No one was evacuated even though the flames came to within about 100 yards to some homes. Anxious residents gaped at the fire, with some shooting video or still photos as black and gray smoke billowed out of the flames and drifted toward Morgan Hill.
The blaze was contained at about 10 p.m., with no damage to structures reported. This morning, CDF officials said they hoped to finish up their work before noon.
