MONTEREY COUNTY (BCN) — Firefighters have made progress in dousing a nearly 4,000-acre vegetation fire that sparked over the weekend in Monterey County and was 70 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire officials said.
The blaze, dubbed the Metz Fire, began around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and grew to 3,876 acres in the area of Metz Road and Blue Jay Lane southeast of Soledad, according to Cal Fire.
Investigators estimate the blaze will be fully contained on Wednesday, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Pangburn said.
Crews were able to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby power transmission lines, which was an initial concern, Pangburn said.
Firefighters have been faced with breezy conditions over the past few days, with today’s afternoon wind speeds estimated between 15 to 20 mph, Pangburn said.
Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 60s to low 70s, which translates to cooler conditions and higher humidity, which is favorable for firefighters, according to Pangburn.
There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, which could potentially start another fire in the area, Pangburn said.
No injuries were reported and no evacuations were needed, he said.
As of today, there were 102 firefighters working on extinguishing the blaze, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.