UPDATE: Fireworks May Have Sparked 4-Alarm Brush Fire In Vallejo, Homes Damaged
VALLEJO (CBS SF/BCN) -- A wind-whipped 4-alarm brush fire roared down a Vallejo neighborhood hillside late Monday night, damaging at least 10 homes before firefighters were able to halt its advance.
Fire officials said they believe the blaze was sparked by an individual setting off illegal fireworks in the tinder-dry hills. A search for the suspect was underway early Tuesday.
The Swanzy fire was reported around 9 p.m. and contained by 10:30 p.m.
Firefighters were able to limit most of the damage to fencing and yards, but as the wall of flames approached homes in the neighborhood, residents were forced to flee. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for residents on Swanzy Court and the south end of Del Sur Street.
The area is just north of the Swanzy Reservoir, east of Interstate 80, and flames were visible for miles.
The evacuation orders were lifted at about 11 p.m. At the height of the firefight, dozens of homes were threatened.
"Oh my God, there were flames right behind there," a homeowner told KPIX 5. "It was scary. You remember about all those fires north of here last year, but I always thought it couldn't happen here."
The blaze charred 10 to 15 acres according to fire Battalion Chief Cliff Campbell, who told KPIX 5 that someone in the neighborhood caused the fire.
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A firefighter was treated for a minor injury.
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