Flames creep over hills west of Morgan Hill early Friday morning. The blaze was apparently started by a squirrel, which shorted out a power line while scurrying across it, authorities said.
A squirrel scurrying across a power line caused a five-acre fire in West Morgan Hill early this morning, resulting in 40 homes without power.
Pacific Gas & Electric spokesman Brian Swanson said, and CalFire Fire Prevention Specialist Chris Morgan confirmed, a charred squirrel found at the scene led line repairmen to blame it for the blaze, which burned for three hours on the southwest corner of West Edmundson and Brewster avenues.
Swanson said he expects power to all homes to be restored by about 2 p.m.
Morgan confirmed the squirrel as the cause and said wildlife and power lines generally don't mix.
"It's a common occurrence," he said. "Raptors, buzzards, larger birds - they can all cause shorts on these high-powered lines."
Swanson said the squirrel was electrocuted, caught fire and fell, bringing a power line down with it.
Six engines and a helicopter responded to the blaze, and Morgan said he expected crews to be out all day Friday "mopping up" and making sure the embers are out.
"Fortunately, it happened in the morning while it was cool and the grass was still wet," Morgan said. But, he said the fire still spread quickly.
The blaze started between 5 and 6 a.m., and was considered contained by about 9:30 a.m., Morgan said.
He said several firefighters were stung by yellow jackets while fighting the blaze. They were treated on the scene.
Other than the stings, no injuries were reported.
Edmundson Court resident Rachel Burge said she woke up this morning at about 6:15 a.m. and the power then went out.
"My husband saw the fire when he went out to pick up the newspaper," she said. Burge said she wasn't worried at all about the fire threatening her home.
Morgan said CalFire will install squirrel guards, or insulation materials that will cover the cables, wires and other power equipment, to prevent future blazes at the site.
Natalie Everett Natalie Everett covers education and city issues for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106, ext. 201, or neverett@morganhilltimes.com.
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