Firefighters spent the better part of Saturday morning battling a 45-acre blaze in Solano County that was accidentally ignited by a man who hit a rock with his riding lawn mower, creating a spark.
The Lopes Fire, burning vegetation just outside the Benicia city limits and Interstate 680, started behind a small ranch house.
Rosenberg Rodriguez told KCBS Radio that he was riding his lawn mower, clearing tall grass on the property, when he struck a rock.
"I was almost done and I crushed a rock with the machine, and it was crumbling down, and it sparked the fire," he said.
Rodriguez said he dialed 911 right away, and in the meantime used hoses to try and take down the blaze.
"Me and my buddies tried to tamp it down, but we couldn't," the man noted. "It's scary stuff."
Benicia Fire, fire crews from Travis Air Force Base and CAL FIRE descended on the blaze, which spread quickly due to the winds in the area.
CAL FIRE didn't waste any time and brought in aerial tankers, planes and helicopters, while hand crews worked from the ground. Officials said the forward progress of the blaze has been stopped.
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Aaron Latte said he's worried that a Red Flag Warning was issued so early in the year.
"It's keeping me up at night, to be honest with you," he told KCBS Radio.
CAL FIRE has extra staffing and equipment staged across the North and East Bay hills, where the Red Flag Warning is in effect. Fire officials asked people to please avoid operating any machinery in these conditions.
