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A fire crews takes a break after knocking down a wild fire along Crow Canyon Road in Castro Valley, California. With air support they quickly knock down a wild fire that scorched 20 acres on Monday, July 7, 2008. 50 residents and 100 horses were evacuated. The blaze closed Crow Canyon Road in Castro Valley as well as San Ramon until approximately 5 P.M. (Jim Stevens/Tri-Valley Herald)
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CASTRO VALLEY _ A worker who apparently caused a 20-acre grass fire that began in the 7000 block of Crow Canyon Road Monday afternoon has been cited for starting a fire negligently.

The man, who has not been identified, was using a circular saw on a pickup truck surrounded by dry grass and brush, Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said. Sparks from the saw spread to the tinder-dry grass, Knowles said.

The fire, which was reported at 2:03 p.m., spread rapidly forcing authorities to evacuate 50 residents and 150 horses in a one mile section of Crow Canyon Road. One barn-type structure, which was unoccupied, was destroyed, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Ken McGeever said.

"We threw everything at it," McGeever said. "We used four fixed-wing aircraft dumping fire retardant and one helicopter dumping water," he said.

Knowles said the four-alarm fire took firefighters two hours to fully contain. It took 85 firefighters from Alameda County Fire, Cal Fire and fire departments from Firefighters from Union City, Livermore-Pleasanton and Santa Clara, among others.

Crow Canyon Road was closed between Castro Valley and San Ramon for more than two hours, officials said. Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 4:30 p.m. and the worker was arrested at 5 p.m.

"With the weather conditions and with all the fires going on throughout the state, we were very fortunate in that we were able to get a lot of resources here very quickly," Knowles said.

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"A collaboration between the aircraft and the firefighters did an amazing job getting a handle on the fire."

About 20 Sheriff's Department personnel evacuated people and horses from the ranch homes along a mile-long stretch of Crow Canyon Road, north of the fire's origin, Sgt. J.D. Nelson said. Residents near the fire evacuated their homes at approximately 2:30 p.m. The evacuation orders were lifted at about 4 p.m. "At the time, with the heat and the wind, we didn't want to take any chances," Nelson said. Lona Baldwin, a resident, was baby-sitting at the time, while her father and sister moved their nine horses. "The cops told us I have five minutes to leave," Baldwin said. "I told them I need more time." Baldwin still wasn't allowed back to her home shortly after the fire was contained, but with a child in tow, she wasn't rushing. "It's too close for comfort when you have a nine-month-old (infant) in the house."