Fire starts under Sacramento freeway junction twice in one day, jamming afternoon traffic

Traffic was jammed Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento due to a grass fire burning near the junction of Highway 50 and Highway 99, on undeveloped land.

The fire was reported around 1 p.m. Wednesday near 29th and W streets, according to Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesman for the Sacramento Fire Department. Traffic was heaviest on northbound Highway 99 to the westbound Highway 50, W-X freeway connector.

Sylvia said the fire was not endangering freeway traffic, but it can be affected.

“Traffic is always impacted when we have grass fires next to the freeway just because the smoke drifts across the freeway,” Sylvia said.

Smoke was visible Wednesday afternoon in parts of midtown, East Sacramento, Curtis Park and Oak Park.

Crews were sent to the same location at around 10:15 a.m. for a fire that was roughly an acre large, Sylvia said. They remained on scene for overhaul.

Sylvia said the department does not know the cause of either fire and is not considering the afternoon fire a re-ignition of the morning fire.