LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters put out several small spot fires that broke out along Highway 29 on Monday afternoon.
The fires were first reported at around 3:45 p.m., according to radio reports.
Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta said a total of six small fires burned along the roadside in the area between Seigler Canyon Road and Lee Barr Drive.
Sapeta said Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire responded with a total of six engines plus firefighters, two commanding officers and two medic units.
The California Highway Patrol and Lake County Sheriff's Office closed the road as Sapeta explained that the small, smoky fires were creating a dangerous situation for firefighters along the busy highway.
The highway was reported to be closed for less than an hour, with one-way traffic opened up shortly before it was fully reopened at around 5 p.m., according to radio reports.
Sapeta said the largest of the fires was about 20 feet by 40 feet along the northbound lane.
Acreage estimates from Sapeta and Cal Fire firefighters on scene ranged between an eighth of an acre and half an acre.
“We're not sure of the cause yet,” Sapeta said early Monday evening, adding that Cal Fire is conducting the investigation.
Charles Lamp – who lives in the Bay Area and has a place in the Clear Lake Riviera – was traveling through the area with his family on the way to Lower Lake and reported the fires.
He said the first one, which they saw just before 3:45 p.m., was about 3 feet wide. Fifty feet down the highway there was another fire that he estimated was 6 feet in diameter, and a still-larger fire was another 200 feet away from that second one. All were round in shape.
“The fire grew fast,” he said, adding, “Within 10 minutes it stopped traffic going westbound.”
Lamp said it was hard to believe that, with all of the recent rain, the green grass would burn.
“It was almost like it was fueled by something other than green grass,” he said.
Lamp added, “We lost our cabin up in Cobb this fall, so we are really vigilant when we see a fire.”
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Monday spot fires along Highway 29 under investigation
- Elizabeth Larson
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