Fast-moving fire in Placer County halted after burning 500 acres near Roseville, Cal Fire says
A fast-moving wildfire near Roseville sent up a large column of smoke Monday afternoon in Placer County and burned vegetation at a dangerous, “critical” rate of speed before its progress was halted, Cal Fire officials said.
The vegetation fire started as a series of roadside spot fires that were driven by wind and burned rapidly through dry grass, Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit announced at 5 p.m. Monday in social media posts.
The blaze, called the Amoruso Fire, was burning in an area close to Amoruso Way and Sunset Boulevard West near Pleasant Grove. Cal Fire officials said no structures had been burned and no evacuations were ordered. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office in a 6 p.m. update said an evacuation warning was in place for areas north of Sunset Boulevard West, east of Brewer Road, south of East Catlett Road and west of Fiddyment Road.
The wildfire had grown to 40 to 50 acres with a dangerous of rate of speed, Cal Fire officials initially said. About 30 minutes later, California officials said the fire was moving at a critical rate of spread and had burned about 350 acres.
Cal Fire just before 5:45 p.m. said forward progress had been stopped and that air resources assigned to the fire had been released. At 6:10 p.m., Cal Fire announced that the fire, which was 60% contained, had burned 502 acres.
The large column of smoke could be seen from North Sacramento.
Aircraft had responded to the reported blaze and were over the wildfire in the rural area northwest of Roseville. Photos from Cal Fire aircraft showed the fire had left behind a large swath of charred grass in what appeared to be mostly flat fields.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.
