Fires continue in the Sacramento region

Grass fires continue to ignite today, injuring firefighters and straining resources throughout the Sacramento region.

Firefighters remain on scene in rural Lincoln, where a grass fire burned 65 acres of vacant rice fields and injured three firefighters.

The fire began just before 10 a.m. Wednesday along Nicolaus and North Dowd roads, near the Lincoln Airport.

Three firefighters were injured in “burnover” incidents while fighting the blaze.

"They got trapped by the fire," said Bill Mendonza, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battalion chief.

A Cal Fire spokesman said two of the firefighters injured in the Lincoln blaze were veteran firefighters with Cal Fire and the third was a volunteer with the Placer County Fire Department.

Cal Fire public information officer Daniel Berlant said that two of the firefighters had moderate to severe facial and arm burns. They were taken by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center’s burn center.

The third firefighter suffered minor facial burns and was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment. The firefighter has been released.

The fire also destroyed two fire engines and a thin grove of eucalyptus trees.

A Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District captain was injured fighting a fire near Jackson and Excelsior roads Tuesday.

The 21-year district veteran, who has not yet been identified, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his nose, arms and hands and is recovering at UC Davis Medical Center, where he underwent surgery Wednesday morning.

Firefighters continue to monitor the burned out remains of that fire, which scorched 6,400 acres and burned at least 10 structures, including two homes. Firefighters who worked through the night Tuesday to cool and extinguish embers, burning debris and fence posts.

A red flag warning remains in effect for the Sacramento region until Thursday afternoon.

"Our biggest concern is that the high winds will pick up an ember and carry it across the containment line," Lynch said.

Firefighters also battled a haystack fire near a wildlife preserve in the Hood area Wednesday morning.

The fire began at 4:13 a.m. along Hood Franklin Road, just east of River Road near the Stone Lakes Wildlife Preserve.

Firefighters dismantled the haystack to keep the blaze from spreading, said Steven Foster, fire chief for the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department.

"Instead of just letting the pile burn out, which is what we'd usually do, we've got heavy equipment in there breaking it down," Foster said. "The big threat today would be that firebrands would blow downwind and ignite the preserve."

The fire district is under contract with the state and federal government to protect the preserve.

A brush fire also broke out early Wednesday along the American River Parkway bike trail in North Sacramento.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the single-alarm fire, which began about 3:36 a.m. near Garden Highway and Northgate Boulevard, said Sacramento Fire Capt. Jim Doucette.

The fire burned less than an acre of land, he said.

Two large fires also are burning in the Chico area. The Humboldt fire, which has burned 200 acres in Stillson Canyon, has forced immediate evacuation of homes in the area. The fire is not contained.

Firefighters also are battling a 1,600-acre fire two miles south of Oroville. That fire is 60 percent contained.

Three other wildfires are burning throughout the state:

• The Indians Fire has burned 4,200 acres in the Los Padres National Forest. It is 10 percent contained.

• The La Grange Fire has burned 800 acres in the area of Cooperstown and La Grange in Tuolumne County. It is 30 percent contained.

• The Pine Fire has burned 860 acres in Sonoma County. It is 80 percent contained.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday afternoon directed additional resources to Cal Fire and the Office of Emergency Services to help battle wildfires statewide.

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