State fire investigators have arrested two people who allegedly used powered yard equipment that may have played a role in starting of two wildfires that burned in Northern California last week, authorities said.
The more recent arrest happened in connection to the Pocket Fire in Sonoma County, which burned 11 acres near Geyserville on Saturday, according to a statement from Cal Fire. The other happened in Lake County and started July 3.“Both of these fires started from the improper use of equipment in bad conditions,” Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay said. “We’d been in red-flag extreme fire conditions for more than a week in the case of the Pocket Fire. People really have to be aware. When you have those conditions — really, really hot temperatures, really, really low humidity — that these fires can happen. And if you’re working at those times of day when you shouldn’t be or using things improperly, we’re gonna enforce those laws when those fires happen.”
Authorities arrested the man suspected of starting the Pocket Fire on felony suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire of a structure or forest land, Cal Fire said.
According to Cal Fire, investigators determined that a riding lawn mower being used on cured annual grasses higher than 4 feet tall caused the fire. Riding lawn mowers are designed to be used only on wet, green lawns and not for dry weeds or dry grass, because their metal blades can cause sparks that can start fires, the agency said.
Another kind of outdoor yard-maintenance equipment — a weed whacker — is suspected in the cause of the Adams Fire in Lake County, which burned 16 acres after starting July 3.
Authorities arrested a man for using a weed whacker in dry grasses, Cal Fire said. Sparks in such conditions can cause wildfires. Cal Fire did not say on what charges they booked the man.
Neither fire burned down any structures or caused any injuries.
