Fires

Drivers using the North Gate at lunchtime Saturday encountered the sad sight of a classic car afire. It was a 1931 Model A Ford, owned by Murietan Bob Ferguson. He said a dozen car buffs took a Saturday-morning run to Plymouth for barbecue, and on the way home, after the car ran over a bump at Ione Road, he and his wife started smelling smoke. As they reached the North Gate, he said, flames had erupted from under the rear wheels. Ferguson said he spent 12 years building the car, which he called a total loss. No one was injured in the blaze. Click photo for larger image. Read more » about Fire claims classic car at North Gate

A firefighter walks past the body of a swan that clipped overhead power lines Wednesday about 9 a.m. and dropped to the ground in flames, sparking a grass fire on the south side of Lake Calero. Sacramento Metro Fire responded and quickly contained the blaze. Read more » about Swan causes small Calero grass fire

The fire trucks at Murieta Plaza before lunchtime Monday were called out because of a smoke smell inside Plaza Foods. Plaza Foods' sign and the front structure of the building were hit by a small fire in October, and owner Machelle Lewallen said Monday that she called the fire department immediately when she smelled smoke. Firefighters said it's possible a light ballast burned out, causing the smell. Read more » about Smoke smell brings fire trucks to Plaza

Firefighters came racing across Murieta Plaza Monday morning to address smoke coming from the Plaza Foods sign. Sac Metro Capt. Aaron Phillips said the call was received at 10:48 a.m.  No cause could be immediately determined, Phillips said, although the fire was in the area of electrical behind the sign. An investigator was expected. Damage seemed limited to the sign area but firefighters went into the attic space above it and removed some roofing. Plaza Foods and the bank were closed because of smoke, and firefighters were on the scene well into lunchtime. Plaza Foods and the bank remained closed all day. Read more » about Plaza Foods sign catches fire

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is inviting everyone to a celebration of the reopening of Fire Station 68 in Anatolia, dark for four years. Saturday’s reopening celebration is good news for Rancho Murieta.

The station was closed temporarily in August 2011to help Sac Metro handle budgetary pressure. Its reopening is good news for Rancho Murieta because of its proximity and the way stations shift coverage to backstop each other when the engines are called out.

The celebration, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the fire station, at 4381 Anatolia Drive, will feature CPR training, activities for the kids, safety tips, firefighter demonstrations and refreshments. Read more » about Party as fire station in Anatolia reopens

Firefighters and a half dozen pieces of equipment responded Friday evening to a garage fire on Pescado Circle.  Capt. Michelle Eidam, public information officer for Sac Metro Fire District, said the blaze started in a car in the garage, and firefighters were on the scene by 7:45 p.m.  The one car, at right, was totaled, she said, and an adjacent car, a Corvette, suffered paint damage.  Fire damage was limited to the garage, with smoke damage inside the home, Eidam said.  She estimated the damage at $30,000. Read more » about Damage in car fire limited to home's garage

A grass fire was doused quickly Thursday morning on the hill behind the parking lot at Lake Clementia Amphitheater. Sac Metro Fire Capt. Michael Deutsch said it was reported as a car fire at 10:12 a.m., but there was no car when firefighters arrived.  The cause is under investigation. The blaze burned about an acre between two power poles. Read more » about Grass fire burns an acre at Clementia

Neighbor Bill "Birdman" Gengler offers this shot of the smoke plume from the King Fire near Pollock Pines.  Bill adds, "With the California drought of historic proportions, we need Smokey the Bear to educate our residents on how to prevent forest fires. ... In the next few months, the River Valley Garden Club will organize a Smokey the Bear/Woodsy Owl poster contest for youngsters from 1-5 grades who live in the Murieta area.  More info on the contest will be provided soon." Read more » about As Smokey says, only you can prevent this

Firefighters responded to a brush fire between the Yellow Bridge and the first hole of the South Course late Wednesday morning. The fire charred a utility pole and an area Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Battalion Chief Charles Jenkins estimated at 50 by 30 feet. Sac Fire and Cal Fire officials are not ruling out "a suspicious type fire," Jenkins said, noting there have been multiple fires in the vicinity of the golf courses in the past several years. Jenkins asked anyone who observes suspicious behavior to call the arson tip line at (916) 859-3775. Read more » about Brush fire erupts near Yellow Bridge