SUBMITTED ARTICLE
GONZALES — On Aug. 7, Cal Fire received reports of a wildland fire in the southern region of Monterey County. Firefighters from Cal Fire along with fire crews from Correctional Training Facility (CTF) and the City of Gonzales Fire Department personnel responded to the 32000 block of River Road.
Upon arrival firefighters were able to confirm brush and grass burning within the dry creek bed. Crews were able to minimize the spread of the fire with an aggressive fire attack. The forward progress of the fire was stopped with the help of precision airdrops from a Cal Fire airtanker sent to fight the fire.
Crews found grass and brush burning in a dry creek bed that was surrounded on both sides by vineyards. The fire was contained at 2.3 acres. Crews were expected to remain on at the location for the next three to four hours for mop-up to ensure the fire was completely extinguished.
At one point, the fire threatened numerous acres of valuable vineyard, but as a result of the extreme accuracy by the Cal Fire airtanker pilots, the fire was stopped within the drainage and away from the surrounding vineyards.
Fire investigators were able to determine the cause of the fire to be a projectile from a hand-fired “Bird Bomb,” a device used to keep birds away from crops. A piece of the projectile was carried into dry grass on the edge of the vineyard.
