Man used lighter to ignite 35-acre fire in eastern Sacramento County, Metro Fire says
Authorities booked a man Tuesday on suspicion of arson after a 35-acre fire broke out in a large grass field along Highway 16 near Mather the day before.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters were told about 7:20 p.m. Monday of a vegetation fire near Jackson Road, west of Excelsior Road, that quickly charred grassland as wind gusts spread the flames, said Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn, an agency spokesman. There were no injuries or damage to structures.
Crews arrived to a grass fire in Sacramento County. Fire shifted multiple times with the wind, jumping through multiple property lines. The fire was attacked with engines and a bulldozer on the ground and our Helicopter from the air. The forward progress was stopped at 35 acres.… pic.twitter.com/CMRaP8sfLD
— Metro Fire of Sacramento (@metrofirepio) June 11, 2024
The incident began as a two-acre fire near two cemeteries — Camellia Memorial Lawn and Joseph DePonti Gravesite — during which witnesses spotted a man wearing blue jeans and a royal blue shirt walking away from the scene, according to audio dispatch calls reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
Sacramento County deputies and fire arson investigators arrived at the scene and detained a man walking out of a property located south of the blaze, Wilbourn said.
Wilbourn said in an update Tuesday that the 37-year-old man admitted to authorities that he had used a lighter to ignite flames.
“Metro Fire emphasizes the importance of community vigilance and prompt reporting of suspicious activities,” Wilbourn wrote in a news release. “The cooperation between community members and fire personnel is crucial in preventing and addressing incidents of arson.”
The fire’s forward progress was stopped about an hour later at 35 acres, crews reported.
The suspect faces an arson charge and is being held in Sacramento County Main Jail on $50,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
