VIDEO: Evacuation orders lifted after San Mateo Co. wildfire burns
Her son Leo jumped into action helping the family pack not knowing if they'll go back to their home"We had a checklist that I was going through and we were just yelling at each other, like, what do we need to do, what am I supposed to do," said Leo Gray.Down the block, Bruce Baker decided to stay back. He's lived in the neighborhood for 40 years and said this has been their closest call."I cant imagine people losing their homes. Up in Paradise, Chico and Santa Rosa. It hits home now more than ever," said Baker.Bruce described hearing what sounded like an explosion around 2:20 p.m. and then they lost power."I heard a big boom," said Baker.As PG&E crews could be seen around the area.Luz Pena: "Any idea of what may have caused this fire?"CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Bob Simmons: "I have investigators out here right now. Working hard on determining the cause of the fire."For many residents, Tuesday's fire was a close call that reminded them of the importance of always being prepared with an evacuation plan.Firefighters initially responded to two fires shortly after 2:20 p.m. in the area of Edgewood Road and Crestview Drive and the California Highway Patrol reported that smoke was visible from Interstate Highway 280.All evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings. See the map below for the latest update:Having trouble loading the map above? Click here to open it in a new window.The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has moved the evacuation and reunification center from Cañada College Theatre to Veterans Memorial Senior Center in Redwood City.Stanford University also reported impacts as a result of the fire, with a power outage affecting many parts of the campus due to a downed PG&E transmission line, school officials said on Twitter.Smoke from the fire may be visible from campus but there is no threat to the campus as of late Tuesday afternoon, Stanford officials said.
According to PG&E's website, thousands of customers are without power throughout parts of San Mateo County including areas in the evacuation zone.
San Mateo County Parks tweeted that Edgewood Park is closed due to the fire burning in a portion of the park.Video and images sent to ABC7 from viewers, showed smoke rising from the hillside where the fire started which could be seen from as far away as Alameda.Thankfully, CAL FIRE says no structures have been damaged or lost in this fire.The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
Bay City News Service contributed to this article.
Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.