Crews extinguish Sacramento County grass fire during high-risk weekend

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Saturday for the Sacramento Valley, warning that the region faces high fire dangers this weekend due to dry and windy conditions that are expected to last until Sunday evening.

Hours after the warning began, a 10-acre grass fire broke out Saturday afternoon in Sacramento County just south of Calvine Road and Franklin Boulevard, just west of the Valley Hi/North Laguna neighborhood.

The Cosumnes Fire Department dispatched firefighters to the area after receiving a call around 12:45 p.m. They were joined by crews from the Sacramento Fire Department and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The three fire departments were able to largely control the fire within 45 minutes, but crews roamed the field afterward to take care of hot spots that could reignite a fire.

“It was a fast-moving grass fire,” Cosumnes Fire Department deputy chief Mike McLaughlin said at the scene. “This isn’t an agricultural field, so the fire was up and moving pretty good, but ultimately we were able to contain it to 10 acres.”

McLaughlin said there were no injuries and no property damage and that the cause of the fire has not been determined. One person was detained and questioned by the Sacramento County park ranger, he said.

The department later said on Twitter that the cause was suspicious.

Even though the area received more rain and water than in past drought years, McLaughlin said that many natural grasses in the Sacramento area are still susceptible to fire. He warned that people should be especially careful when red flag warnings are issued.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the wettest winter or a drought, these grasses die, they cure and they dry out,” McLaughlin said. “With the lower humidity, higher temperatures and little bit of a breeze they are more susceptible to igniting. The key is to not doing anything that involves sparks or heat outside and especially not near dry grass areas.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Crews extinguish Sacramento County grass fire during high-risk weekend."