KELSEYVILLE ? A Cal Fire helicopter and a twin engine air attack unit could be seen in the sky above Kelseyville responding alongside the Kelseyville Fire Department to a wildland fire off of Soda Bay Road Sunday evening.
Kelseyville Fire Captain Dave Bosserman said the fire ignited at 5:14 p.m. on a 40-acre, rectangular parcel overgrown with brush between Yaquima Drive and Chippewa Trail. A resident in one of the neighboring houses made the 9-1-1 call, Bosserman said. There was no structure on the parcel, and none of the neighboring homes were threatened.
Bosserman said the fire consumed between a quarter of an acre and half of an acre, and that one of Kelseyville”s fire engines had the fire contained within 10 to 15 minutes. Bosserman said Cal Fire helped mop up once a Kelseyville engine had the blaze contained within 10 to 15 minutes, and that Kelseyville crews were on the scene for a total of one hour.
Two Cal Fire engines aided Kelseyville”s two fire engines, along with a helicopter that dropped water on the area and a twin engine air attack that did not drop chemicals, according to Bosserman.
The cause is still under investigation, but Bosserman said he believes it was “kids playing around.”
Bosserman said the department has had numerous problems over the years with area youth starting campfires and lighting fireworks in the area, which he said is an old, abandoned walnut orchard. The department will make efforts to locate the current owners and come to an agreement about how to remove excess fuel load in the area.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
