Black Mountain-Purissima Evacuation Route Project - Los Altos Hills County Fire District

Project Description

The Black Mountain-Purissima Road Evacuation Route Maintenance Project in Los Altos Hills, California, provides an important egress route for a significant portion of the western area of the Los Altos Hills community in the event of an evacuation, such as during a wildfire. To secure the integrity of this route, Los Altos Hills County Fire District and Santa Clara County FireSafe Council propose roadside treatment of hazardous fuels.

Read the media release.

Before & After Photos

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Low-growing tree branches and excess vegetation are cut away from the lower portion of the trees to create a separation between the tree canopy and ground fuels.

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Low-growing tree branches and excess vegetation are cut away from the lower portion of the trees to create a separation between the tree canopy and ground fuels. Weeds, grasses and ground vegetation within the public right of way are trimmed to shorter than 6". Treatment depth from centerline of the road will depend on permit specification of public right of ways and resident permissions.

black-mtn-purissima-before-after-set-9

Low-growing tree branches and excess vegetation are cut away from the lower portion of the trees to create a separation between the tree canopy and ground fuels. Weeds, grasses and ground vegetation within the public right of way are trimmed to shorter than 6". When there's a path, as shown here, the easement allows for trimming and additional 1 foot on each side of the path.

Project Site

The 2026 evacuation route project treated four (4) roads along the route.

Purissima Road: from Arastradero Road to Elena Road. Approximately 0.5 linear miles, 1 treated mile.
Elena Road: from Purissima Road to Natoma Road. Approximately 0.6 linear miles, 1.2 treated miles.
Natoma Road: from Elena Road to Black Mountain Road. Approximately 0.6 linear miles, 1.2 treated miles.
Black Mountain Road: from Natoma Road to Altamont Road. Approximately 0.5 linear miles, 1 treated mile.

The southwestern end of the project is located at the intersection of Black Mountain Road and Altamont Road (37.366180, -122.158790) and the northeastern end of the project is located at the intersection of Purissima Road and Arastradero Road (37.386986, -122.152411).

Total treated area: approximately 2.2 miles, 4.4 treated miles.