Firefighters responded to a vegetation fire near Constitution Avenue and once they arrived began calling for help to quell what later turned out to be a 10-acre blaze.
The fire moved southwest and burned trees and brush, said Salinas Fire Battalion Chief Dirk Van Outryve.
The fire burned for about 90 minutes.
Van Outryve said the cause of the fire is under investigation and that arson could be one of many possibilities.
In recent months firefighters have responded to a few intentional fires around the park.
Wednesday's fire was a swift-moving blaze that at one point attracted dozens of onlookers.
Van Outryve said people were told to head back into their homes and to back away from the flames that could have quickly jumped the street.
Firefighters were expecting to watch the area for several hours in case the winds kicked up.
Resident Michael Hedgecock was peeking outside of his second-story window at one point and taking pictures of the flames that were near his home.
Hedgecock watched as neighbors across the park were poised with garden hoses in case they needed to save their homes.
"I didn't think the fire would jump the street," Hedgecock said, of the fires that were about 200 yards from his front door.
"I thought those homes were going to get burned."
