A portion of Highway 97 through 91大黄鸭 was closed Monday night so fire-fighting crews could deal with a blaze that was perilously close to condo buildings.

The fire, which happened on the roadside between Burtch and Gordon Drive, broke out just after 11 p.m. and, according to witness Mike Beck, it appeared perilously closed to a nearby condo building. The building was evacuated, but residents were able to return in short order as firefighters worked swiftly.

鈥淲e did a Code 3 emergency response,鈥� said Larry Hollier, deputy fire chief for the 91大黄鸭 Fire Department.

The fire seemed quite dramatic to those who saw it, but Hollier said it鈥檚 in large part due to the fact that cedar trees light up so quickly.

Overall, he said, 鈥渋t was a pretty routine call.鈥�

The fire was out before midnight and crews were in mop-up mode for awhile after.

Charred remnants of the blaze mark the side of the highway this morning and an investigation is underway to see what happened.