APTOS — A fire broke out adjacent to Highway 1 near the Aptos Hills and Watsonville Thursday afternoon, but was quickly extinguished by local fire crews.

Cal Fire’s CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit responded close to 2 p.m. to a fire near Grizzly Oaks Lane, according to a social media post from the agency. Columns of smoke could be seen from Santa Cruz.

By 2:15 p.m. multiple resources were at the scene and reported a slow rate of spread. The blaze was declared contained about 30 minutes later at 2:45 p.m.

The weather Thursday was unseasonably warm across Santa Cruz County and other portions of the greater Bay Area. The high in Santa Cruz was 69 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and the burst of high temperatures is expected to last through Saturday, bringing with it the p

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