Fire crews are battling a brush fire thisafternoon in the Arastradero Preserve, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department.
The fire was initially reported at 4:08 p.m. after a caller spotted smoke in the preserve.
An area of brush near Arastradero Road between Alpine Road and Page Mill Road was burning when Palo Alto firefighters arrived.
At its height the fire could be seen for miles.
Our helicopter was over the fire and showed it was being attacked by the air and the ground. Smoke from the fire was mostly white.
The fire is off one of the trails, and not close to the roadway, according to the fire department.
Teams with the Santa Clara County Fire Department and Cal Fire are also assisting, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department.
Local
Car Sparks Vegetation Fire in North Bay
A vegetation fire near U.S. Highway 101 in between Novato and Petaluma is mostly contained, and traffic is flowing again this afternoon, Marin County fire and California Highway Patrol officials said.
The fire, reported near San Antonio Road around 2:40 p.m., has charred about 35 acres, fire officials said.
No structures are threatened by the blaze, fire officials said.
A Sig-alert was issued at 3:03 p.m. for all northbound traffic on Highway 101 between Atherton Avenue and San Antonio Road.
Smoky conditions prompted a shutdown of all northbound lanes, CHP Officer Marc Johnston said.
The alert was canceled at 3:37 p.m. and the Atherton Avenue on-ramp, which had been closed, was reopened, Johnston said.
The CHP reported that traffic was still backed up in the area despite the freeway opening.
Novato Fire District also responded to the blaze.
Roof Fire at SF State
A small fire damaged the former administration building at San Francisco State University this afternoon, a university spokeswoman said.
The fire was reported at about 4:05 p.m. at the building known as the Old Administration Building, university spokeswoman Ellen Griffin said.
Firefighters responded and extinguished the fire within about 20 minutes, Griffin said.
People in both the Old Administration Building and the newer Administration Building adjacent to it had to be evacuated because of the fire and had not yet been allowed to go back inside as of 4:40 p.m., according to Griffin.
No one was injured in the blaze, which appears to be caused by the accidental igniting of materials on the roof, which was under repair, Griffin said.
An estimate on the damage to the building was not immediately available.
