Santa Cruz Mountain residents face high fire danger

BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Residents in Boulder Creek are on high alert as excessive heat watch and fire danger continue in the county.

The county of Santa Cruz issued an excessive heat warning that started on Tuesday through today, prompting many to stay alert and safe during the high temperatures.

As fire danger excels in the Santa Cruz Mountains, many Boulder Creek residents are taking proactive measures for themselves and their homes.

“At my house, I’ve already -- since before the fires -- been a little fire-paranoid, so I already was clearing and cutting brush back before the fire, and putting in firebreaks and proper water," said Jordan Booth, resident of Boulder Creek.

Mark Bingham, the Fire Chief of Boulder Creek Fire Protection District, emphasizes what the red flag warning means for his community and the department.

“[There is a] red flag warning right now, and that doesn’t necessarily change our staffing, [but] what it does is make us respond [at] a little higher level as far as when there’s an incident. We get additional resources on initial dispatch," said Mark Bingham Fire Chief of Boulder Creek.

The CZU fire came within 60 feet of Jim Heaney’s house, making him -- along with neighbors -- very aware of fire danger with excessive heat.

“We have dispensable space we keep all of our roof and all the drops [from] the trees. We keep that clear from our house and not doing fireworks [or] barbecues or anything like that," said Jim Heaney from Boulder Creek.

Higher elevations will be in an excessive heat warning while coastal regions will be in heat advisories.

Other Boulder Creek residents are finding other preventative steps to help stop fire dangers in their areas.

“[We're] very careful with our fire pits and we always have fire extinguishers in all the cars. Fire extinguishers are all like the meeting rooms at our campsites, so we’re definitely prepared for the fires," said Benjamin Jibaja from Boulder Creek.

Santa Cruz County is urging residents to remember how important it is with this excessive heat watch to limit your outdoor activities; hot conditions could cause life threatening impacts.