The south region of Rancho Cordova has kept the Sacramento Metro Fire District busy the past 48 hours. On Sunday afternoon, crews contained a fire off Jackson Highway near Sloughouse to just 1.5 acres. Just hours later, units were back in the area on a more serious response as a wind driven blaze scorched several hundred acres and threatened a residential area.
The fire broke out just after 3 a.m. on Monday in the area of Eagles Nest Road and Florin Road in the area of Jackson Highway. The blaze grew quickly in size, being fueled by gusty winds, all of which were remnants of tropical storm Hilary that blew into the area.
When firefighters arrived, they drove into dangerous driving conditions as the gusty winds carries embers across the area and fueled intense flames, prompting the complete closure of Jackson Highway. Due to the threat to homes in the area, additional units and agencies were immediately requested.
A total of 27 different units responded to the fire which was eventually contained to 540 acres without the need for evacuations. Jackson Highway was closed to traffic for several hours affecting the morning commute for many.
“Fortunately we had enough crews. By the time we got resources here to mitigate that threat, that fire was directly threatening multiple homes, so we called for additional resources. It was also jumping Eagles Nest as well, so we had a significant incident just in a very small area,” said Parker Wilbourn with Sac Metro Fire.
Crews were expected to remain on scene throughout much of the day to insure all hotspots were fully extinguished. Neighboring agencies assisted with the fire, including units from Cosumnes Fire, Sacramento Fire and Wilton Fire.
The fire is under investigation, according to Wilbourn, they believe it was ignited by a car that pulled off the side of the road near dry grass and quickly spread.
