Lawn Mower Cause Of Tuesday’s Rancho Calaveras Blaze

CCF photo

Rancho Calaveras, CA – Tuesday afternoon’s vegetation fire in Rancho Calaveras that broke out in the grass and threatened a home was the result of mowing.

As earlier reported here, the blaze ignited in the noon hour near McCauley Road off Baldwin Street, between Highway 26 and New Hogan Lake in Calaveras County. It took crews about an hour to stop the flames’ forward rate of spread and the fire size was estimated at a quarter acre.

Calaveras Consolidated Fire (CCF) and CalFire battled not only the blaze but also sizzling temperatures. CCF officials relayed the fire was started by a mower. To emphasize this danger and the possible consequences, they added, in all caps, “FIREFIGHTERS WANT YOU TO PLEASE STOP MOWING IN DRY GRASS. IF YOU START THE FIRE YOU WILL BE CITED!”

Those cited could end up paying for the cost of the resources used to fight the fire, among other costs.