A fire that started as a prescribed burn has spread out of control in Santa Cruz County.
The blaze, known as the Estrada Fire, was ignited between Watsonville and Morgan Hill above Hazel Dell Rd. as part of the Estrada Ranch Prescribed Burn on Oct. 15, CAL FIRE officials said.
"Prescribed vegetation management burns are carefully planned controlled burns that must meet a predefined set of conditions in order to achieve ideal fire behavior," the agency said. "No burning takes place if weather and fuel conditions are not within prescription."
The fire erupted after strong winds in the area caused the flames to jump outside of a containment line, prompting evacuation orders for residents from the southwest and northwest of the Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County line to the south of Summit Rd.
As of Saturday morning, the fire had died down from 150 acres to 83 acres and is at 10% containment.
Evacuation warnings have also been issued for residents south and southwest of Summit Rd. There have been no reported injuries or damages.
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