Fire in Santa Cruz

Yesterday, I feared my Honda Civic had mysteriously developed a bad case of dandruff - the entire red car was coated in white flakes. When I touched the flakes, they left a sooty, grey smudge on my fingers. Then I realized my car was covered in ashes that the wind had carried from the latest fire in Santa Cruz. Thankfully, no one died, but homes were destroyed. Two good friends from my writers' group, Reyna and Judy, feared they might lose their homes in Bonny Doon, but they were spared.

Chelsea George, also a dear friend from my writers' group, took this photo, above, on Wednesday, just as the fire started in the hills of Bonny Doon, a mountain community near UC Santa Cruz.

As of June 15, 2008, at 7 a.m., the Sentinel newspaper reports that the Martin Fire (named for a road in Bonny Doon)
Cause: Under Investigation

Acres Burned: 520 acres

Containment 90 percent containment - 520 acres

Structures Destroyed: 3 residences and 8 outbuildings have been destroyed.

Injuries: 1

Total Fire Personnel: 901 (541 CAL FIRE)

Fire crews: 29 (17 CAL FIRE)

Engines: 67 (41 CAL FIRE)

Airtankers: 2

Helicopters: 3 (1 CAL FIRE)

Dozers: 5 (All CAL FIRE)

Water tenders: 19

Costs to date: $3.2 million