Fires spark in San Joaquin Valley; high winds don't help

Blazes burn on freeway near Salida, gusts wreak havoc around Modesto

By INGA MILLER and SUSAN HERENDEEN
imiller@modbee.comsherendeen@modbee.com

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High winds mixed with dry conditions turned grassy freeway strips into tinderboxes Wednesday, with firefighters spending the day dousing flames around the region.

Among them were two fires that tied up midday traffic along northbound Highway 99 near Pelandale Avenue. A fire reported at about 9:30 a.m. was doused, but came back stronger as a second blaze threatened a home on Bangs Avenue.

Modesto Fire Battalion Chief Hugo Patino could not pinpoint a cause, but he suggested that sparks from equipment or cigarettes tossed out by passing motorists could have ignited blazes that picked up steam due to high winds.

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"On a normal day, more than likely, the fires would have stayed much smaller and the crews would have been able to put them out much quicker," Patino said. "Because of the wind, it takes longer."

Fire crews get to work early

Dale Skiles, chief of the Salida Fire District, said the first fire reported at 9:30 a.m. appeared to start on the north side of Pelandale Road, then jump to the south side.

Firefighters from Modesto and Salida had those blazes out by about 11:15 a.m., but the flames were back 15 minutes later. The California Highway Patrol closed the Pelandale Road off-ramp from 11:47 a.m. to 1:28 p.m., prompting traffic tie-ups on the northbound side of the highway and along Kiernan Avenue.

"We don't know if it was a rekindle or if it was a new ignition," Skiles said.

The second fire was stronger, igniting oleander bushes and brushing up toward businesses on Sisk Road. Some buildings suffered exterior damage, including a broken window and damage to utility meters, but crews were able to stop the flames before they caused more serious damage.

A home in the 2900 block of Bangs Avenue also was spared.

Firefighters were called into action again at 1:39 p.m., when a blaze broke out near Claus and Van Dusen roads north of the Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant.

The grass fire burned nearly 10 acres, endangering a home that escaped the flames but causing minor damage to six or seven recreational vehicles stored at the plant.

Firefighters from Modesto, Escalon and Oakdale joined the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District to douse the fire, which was contained by 3 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Richard Boyd.

They also quelled smaller blazes at Wellsford Road and Dusty Lane, and at Albers and Milnes roads.

Gusts pose threat, too

High winds prompted a warning from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District because dust and pollution in the air can increase the risk of respiratory infections, exacerbate lung diseases and spark asthma attacks.

Windy conditions produced extra work for city workers, too, by ripping a limb off a tree at Modesto High School and knocking a limb off a Modesto ash tree on H Street between 12th and 13th streets.

Fire departments increased their staffing ratios today, Boyd said, because an advisory from the National Weather Service predicts gusts of up to 41 mph through the evening.

Meanwhile, grassy medians are parched because March and April were the driest on record in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The weather service recorded only 0.02 inches of rain in Modesto, the least amount of precipitation since 1913.

"We've got an early fire season," Boyd said. "It just really multiplies the danger of fires this time of year."

Bee staff writer Inga Miller can be reached at imiller@modbee.com or 578-2324.

Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at sherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.