Fast-Moving Grass Fire Burns Half-Dozen Homes In Fairfield
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — A fast-moving fire in Fairfield burned six homes, but police and firefighters were able to keep it from getting much worse.
There were flames leaping a tree in a backyard, forcing dozens to evacuate, as more than 200 firefighters from several different counties rushed to Marigold Drive to stop the blaze.
But the wind wasn't helping.
"With the wind, you have a lot of unburned fuels and embers that fly in the air," says Bobby Silva with Fairfield Fire.
"From grass fire on the freeway to when it caught the tree on fire to the roof of that house," said witness Fred Algar, "and then it actually jumped a fence over here."
After it went over the sound wall from Interstate 80, the fire destroyed two homes, and damaged three others.
"You could see a large cloud of smoke coming up from the houses in that area, so as we get there, you could see the flames coming up behind the houses."
Fairfield Police officer Stefan Iwanicki was one of the first on scene, going door-to-door, sometimes even knocking down doors to get people out quickly.
"There were definitely some people who seemed stunned and weren't prepared for that idea."
Sally Harris-Charron says minutes after the fire started, it looked like an explosion had taken over the neighborhood. But she wasn't worried about her house.
"There's smoke everywhere, you can't even see. There's ashes flying everywhere, and you just want to make sure all your loved ones are out and safe."
And at this point, the fire department says it's a man-made fire, but they aren't sure how exactly it was started.
