Defensible Space Makes Difference In Calaveras County Fire

New Hogan Estates above La Contenta Photo by Calaveras Consolidated Firefighters, "This is why defensible space is so essential around your homes...it makes a difference for firefighters."

Valley Springs, CA – The two-acre Mockingbird Fire in Valley Springs yesterday afternoon had the potential to scorch more acres and even threaten homes.

Calaveras Consolidated Fire Department (CCFD) says defensible space helped ground crews quickly stop the fire’s forward rate of spread within about 15 minutes of their arrival. The pictures of charred grass in the image box shows just how close the flames came to residences. The blaze broke out around 4:15 p.m. in some grass in the 1000 block of Mockingbird Hill near Del Lago Drive in New Hogan Estates east of the La Contenta Golf Course, as earlier reported here.

Calling it a “close call for several homes,” CCFD officials also noted, “This is why defensible space is so essential around your homes…it makes a difference for firefighters.”

Crews remained on the scene, gaining full containment and mopping up for about two hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation.