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Bear Creek Fire 10 percent contained
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Fire crews have achieved 10 percent containment of the Bear Creek wild fire, which appears to have been started by a spark from a power line, according to 30th Space Wing emergency operations personnel.
The fire is presently contained between Arguello, Bear Creek, Coast and Mesa Roads on south base.
The blaze has burned about 340 acres and will be monitored by six fire crews overnight, said Dan Ardoin, Vandenberg Fire Department operations division chief.
After starting early this afternoon on south base near Space Launch Complex 3, the fire was fueled by winds up to 29 miles per hour, aiding the fire's rapid spread.
Due to quick action by crews, six buildings in the fire's path were successfully protected. Approximately 150 firefighters and emergency responders worked to contain the blaze with 28 fire engines, seven fire dozers, three helicopters and two fixed-wing aerial tankers.
Power has been restored to the area; there were no reported injuries.
As a safety precaution, fire crews let the fire burn in areas suspected to contain unexploded ordnance. The UXOs on Vandenberg date back from the base's early days as Camp Cooke, a U.S. Army post where artillery training was conducted during the 1940s and 50s.
The fire prompted a closure of Ocean Avenue west of Union Sugar Avenue to keep roads clear for emergency personnel.
More information will be released as it becomes available.