Helicoptors made water runs over our house

June 11 2008
Pics taken from Arden Ave, in Ben Lomond.
Warm, dry winds Wednesday fanned yet another roaring blaze in the Santa Cruz Mountains, whipping through the heavily forested area of Bonny Doon and forcing the evacuation of 1,400 residents.
Just three weeks after a fierce wildfire torched 4,270 acres off Summit Road and burned 35 homes, thick columns of smoke were once again visible for miles as firefighters scrambled to extinguish the conflagration burning in the tiny mountain community.

Wednesday's wind-whipped, brush-fueled Martin fire was the latest in a batch of wildfires that ignited over the past two days in Northern California, from the coast to the Sierra foothills - an ominous sign for the summer.

"The biggest concern is that we are having a lot of fire activity," said Paul Van Gerwen, Bay Area spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "The vegetation is in a critical state, and we're going to be coming up on the Fourth of July and all the concerns around that."

By early evening, the Martin fire was threatening at least 1,000 homes, with the fast-moving blaze expected to grow to 1,500 acres by today.

With no estimate of containment and continued winds, fire officials feared the flames would move into more populated areas through the night