*Thousands of people affected by power outages
[Update]
Cal Fire San Mateo and Santa Cruz Unit Fire Battalion Chief Ethan Peterson took to social media Tuesday to provide an update on the Edgewood Fire that has been raging in the Emerald Hills area of San Mateo County and has prompted evacuations.
Peterson said the fire has been holding steady at 20 acres in the areas around Maple Street, and noted that "numerous" firefighting resources are on scene, including air support.
"It looks good right now," Peterson said. "If we can keep it at 20 acres, it will look good."
Firefighters initially responded to the fire shortly after 2:20 p.m. in the area of Edgewood Road and Crestview Drive, while the California Highway Patrol reported smoke showing from Interstate 280.
The Sheriff's Office has ordered evacuations for residents of Zonehaven RWC-E002 and RWC-E003-B and WSD-E099-A, and is advising but not ordering evacuations for RWC-E003-A and WSD-E099-B.
People can search for their evacuation zone in the following areas https://community.zonehaven.com/.
In turn, evacuees have been asked to go to a temporary center being set up at 1455 Madison Ave. in Redwood City.
Stanford University also reported impacts as a result of the fire, with a power outage affecting many parts of campus due to a downed PG&E transmission line, school officials said on Twitter.
Smoke from the fire may be visible from campus, but there is no threat to the campus as of Tuesday afternoon, Stanford officials said.
Thousands of people are currently without power along the San Mateo County peninsula, according to Pacific Gas and Electric. The outages, as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, extend from Hillsborough to the Emerald Lake Hills area, which is now battling a 20-acre grass fire.
San Mateo is the hardest hit, with at least 5,000 people without power, according to PG&E. Areas between 500 and 4,999 customers affected include Hillsborough, San Carlos and Redwood City.
With information from Bay City News
The San Mateo County grass fire that has spread rapidly in the Emerald Hills area has prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon, according to the county Sheriff's Office.
Firefighters initially responded to the fire shortly after 2:20 p.m. in the area of Edgewood Road and Crestview Drive and the California Highway Patrol reported that smoke was visible from Interstate 280.
The Sheriff's Office at 3:40 p.m. ordered evacuations for residents in the Zonehaven RWC-E002 and RWC-E003 zones and recommended evacuations for people in the WSD-E099 zone.
People can search for their evacuation zone in the following areas https://community.zonehaven.com/.
Peninsula 360 Press readers sent us images of the fire currently burning near Woodside in Redwood City. According to a cleanup worker who contacted this media outlet, thunder was heard at the PG&E facility.
With information from Bay City News
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