Santa Cruz Mountains property owner arrested following vegetation fire

A property owner in the unincorporated Santa Cruz County community of Felton was arrested for allegedly causing a vegetation fire over the weekend by burning garbage in a burn barrel that got out of control.

Firefighters from Cal Fire and the Boulder Creek Fire Protection District responded to a fire Saturday in the 200 block of Hartman Creek Road. About a tenth of an acre of brush and vegetation burned and several vehicles were on fire when firefighters arrived, according to Cal Fire.

The property owner was burning garbage but did not have a burn permit and did not have clearance from other vegetation, according to Cal Fire. She had been educated about burning without a permit after previous burns got out of control, the state fire agency alleged.

The woman was arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail.

Cal Fire said fall is the most dangerous time for fire risk in the Santa Cruz Mountains because of low moisture content in potential fuel.

Dry conditions in Santa Cruz County require a permit from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District to burn approved materials, which include only natural materials. Burn barrels also require a 10-foot clearance.