Cal Fire crews and firefighters from nearly every single local department battled a 30-acre wildfire east of South Boundary Road near Laguna Seca on Sunday afternoon.
According to Cal Fire Capt. Kim Bernheisel, the blaze started just before 2:30pm and burned brush, grasses and small pine and oak trees in the dry grassland area in Fort Ord.
About 50 residents on York Road were evacuated as California Highway Patrol and Del Rey Oaks police kept people out of the area.
"With the temperatures and humidity the way it is, there is a great potential for wildfires to start and take off even this late in the year," he says. "We have had very little rain up to this point, so the fuels have had a long time to dry out."
By 4:30pm, crews had the fire 50-percent contained. Fire support consisted of four air tankers, two helicopters, 15-20 engines, two hand crews and two bulldozers.
As blazes ravage Northern California, fires are on everyone's mind.
"With high winds, this thing could really have taken off," says Bernheisel. "Until we get some significant rains, we're on a tight lookout."
Cal Fire's San Benito County-Monterey County office of public information announced via Twitter at 4:52pm that the blaze covered 31.5 acres before it was extinguished.
Weekly reporter David Schmalz provided some perspective from a recent controlled burn site while crews fought to stop the so-called York Fire.