Cigarette caused Midway Road fire near Vacaville
A fire official says the blaze was "totally preventable."
(Photo by the author)
A wildfire that torched 90 acres of dry grass near Vacaville on Friday was caused by a discarded cigarette, according to a fire official.
The fire started around 2 p.m. Friday near a brick yard along Midway Road before jumping Interstate 80 and burning dozens of acres of land near Lewis Road in rural Vacaville.
Fire officials didn’t say if the cigarette was discarded by someone who was at the brick yard or was tossed by a passing motorist, but said the blaze that burned on Friday was “totally preventable.”
“One careless act by one person that affected so many and wreaked havoc to many Friday evening commutes didn’t have to be,” the fire official said in a social media post on Saturday.
Several homes were threatened and a firefighter suffered a minor injury battling the fire, the official said. Crews from as far away as Isleton, Benicia and Napa County were called to assist with the blaze.
The fire occurred during a Red Flag Warning when weather forecasters said new wildfires would start quickly and spread rapidly. The alert has been extended through Saturday evening.
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