Fire crews started a blaze near Mather to reduce fire fuel. It grew larger than intended
A large brush fire near Mather Airport in south Rancho Cordova was ignited Wednesday morning as part of a plan to reduce fire fuel in the area, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. However, it grew bigger than intended.
The blaze was supposed to burn 50 acres, said Capt. Brian Gonsalves, a Metro Fire spokesman. But it charred 67 acres before firefighters were able to contain it.
After blazing through the prescribed 50 acres by 2 p.m., the fire spread to a contingency area that was allocated specifically for this purpose, Gonsalves said. He called it a “backup plan” of sorts.
Forward progress was stopped around 2:30 p.m., Gonsalves said.
The fire was completely extinguished as of 8:15 p.m, according to Capt. Chris Vestal, another Metro Fire spokesman. But crews were still patrolling the area due to favorable fire conditions.
No evacuations were issued and no structures were reported damaged, Vestal said.
This story was originally published August 7, 2019 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Fire crews started a blaze near Mather to reduce fire fuel. It grew larger than intended."