A wind-swept fire burned about 19 acres of pastureland on the western outskirts of Petaluma on Monday, consuming several outbuildings but barely missing more than a dozen adjacent homes.
"This could have been a very big mess," said David Welch, safety officer for the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District as he surveyed firefighters putting out hot spots in the charred valley where the fire broke out.
Residents near the blaze were ordered to evacuate as the flames spread up the grassy pasture, sending a plume of smoke over Highway 101 and northern Petaluma.
At least 70 firefighters from agencies all over the area responded, including water-dropping helicopters, after fire broke out around 3:27 p.m. The fire was fully contained shortly after 5 p.m.
Welch said it's not clear what sparked the blaze, but that grass and trees are unusually vulnerable to fire because of the extremely dry conditions.
"Our fuel moisture is already at August levels," making any sort of fire a potentially serious matter, he said.
Joan Peterson, owner of the property where the fire broke out, said it appeared someone may have thrown something over the fence along Thompson Lane, possibly a cigarette butt.
The blaze, pushed eastward by a strong wind, burned up a cluster of old chicken coops that were being used for storage and melted yards of plastic fencing, but did no damage to the two rental houses she owns directly next to the pastureland.
The firefighters "did a good job," she said, as a helicopter circled overhead dropping buckets of water on hot spots.
On Boom Lane nearby off Magnolia Avenue, residents were packing pets and cherished belongings in case they needed to leave.
"The sheriff came by and said we needed to go," said Kristi Joyce, who checked with several neighbors to see if they needed help.
"We're watching it. We have our dogs," she said. "If we have to jump and go quickly, we'll do that."
Joyce and her son, Mario Aimo, 24, were helping their across-the-street neighbor, an elderly woman, load her dog and wheelchair into her truck so she could leave if necessary.
Another family of six one lane over, on Numes Lane, readied their dogs, cats, chickens, chicks, guinea pigs, rabbits, ducks, turkeys and pheasants. A St. Bernard sat in the back of an SUV, while a daughter brought out a crate with one cat and a pillowcase full of kittens.
"If I left them, the predators would get them," said the mother, who declined to give her name.
The fire was stopped just short of a house at the top of the valley along Marshall Avenue.
"The wind certainly gusts up here but we never imagined it would bring a fire up close," said Brian Azevedo, whose family owns the house.
The dry season has kept fire crews busy, with numerous small fires around the area and several larger blazes, including one in May that burned a house and about 125 acres of brush in Knight's Valley. An unusual wave of lightning storms earlier this month sparked at least 26 fires in the region.
Calfire reports that between Jan. 1 and the first week in June, it had responded to about 2,100 fires statewide, nearly double the normal number for by this time of year.
Welch said homeowners should be particularly vigilant and keep tall grass mowed, though he advised caution even in using a lawnmower. Dry grass should be mowed early in the day, when there is still some moisture on the ground in case the mower itself causes a spark.
While he couldn't confirm the report about Monday's blaze being caused by a cigarette butt, he said that lit cigarettes are quite capable of causing wildfires and reminded motorists that it is illegal to throw butts out of car windows.
Staff Writer Lori Carter contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Sean Scully at 521-5313 or sean.scully@pressdemocrat.com.
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