June fires burn vegetation

With warmer weather comes the higher risk for vegetation fires.

On Thursday, June 1, the county experienced two fires, one in Litchfield and another in Standish. Although they were close together, the two fires were unrelated.

According to Cal Fire Public Information Officer Gabe Lauderdale, the Litchfield fire started just before 7 p.m. off Highway 395 North.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Lauderdale said, but the nearly 9.2 acre vegetation fire caused the evacuation of two residences. No structures were damaged from the fire.

Later in the evening, crews responded to a vegetation fire off County Road A-3 in Standish. The roadside blaze, which totaled between .3 and .5 acres burned, was caused when a tire blew and the vehicle was driving on the rim. The sparks from the metal on roadway started multiple small fires on the side of the road, forcing temporary road closures, according to Lauderdale.

With the warming weather, Lauderdale stressed the importance of checking chains before towing and tires to ensure sparks are not created when driving. “One less spark means one less wild fire,” he said.