Structures safe but over 100 cars are charred after massive blaze breaks out in Rio Linda

A massive blaze ignited early Friday night at a Rio Linda junkyard, generating structure concerns and a shelter-in-place advisory as it raged for two hours and ultimately burned more than 100 cars.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded about 5:30 p.m. to a large fire at a junkyard at 6815 W. Sixth St. When they arrived, they found that the blaze was threatening cars, RVs and equipment. The fire began to expand toward “several structures,” according to a Metro Fire social media post.

As the blaze sent dark plumes of smoke into the sky, Metro Fire requested on social media that those in the area shelter in place and stay clear of firefighter operations.

Firefighters battled the blaze from the air and the ground, but announced it was contained about 7:30 p.m.

All structures were saved, but the fire charred the 100-plus cars and “a bunch of RVs and junk,” Metro Fire spokesman Capt. Parker Wilbourn said Saturday. Most of the burned vehicles appeared to be at the yard to be used for parts, Wilbourn said.

The fire department determined Saturday that the fire was human caused but unintentional. Wilbourn said that cigarette butts were located at the origin of the blaze, as was a car that seemed to have fresh cuts from a saw that could have caused sparks.

Sacramento County agencies continue to investigate, both to determine the safety of the area and to look into potential code violations that could have made the junkyard susceptible to fire, Wilbourn said.

This story was originally published August 6, 2022 at 12:01 PM.