Santa Cruz Fire Destruction Mounts as more than 2,500 Firefighters Battle Blaze

The Santa Cruz fire, now in its third day, has continued to scorch the landscape in Northern California between Santa Cruz and Santa Clara, destroying 28 structures, 17 of those being homes.

More than 2,500 firefighters are now battling the blaze that has been named the Summit Fires and officials have estimated they have contained about 25 percent yet there are still almost 2,000 residents who remain under evacuation orders.

An estimated 500 structures still remain threatened by the fast-moving inferno that has been aided by strong sustained winds and heavy gusts that have reached 50 mph.

On Friday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the area and declared a state of emergency. By Saturday morning about 5 square miles had been left in ruins and a predicted 15 square miles could be lost by the time firefighters can contain the fire.

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