Tossed Cigarette Butt Blamed for Wildfire Sparked Amid Bay Area’s High Alert During Extreme Winds
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The Suisun City Fire chief said a tossed cigarette likely ignited the dry brush as the entire region was on alert for Northern California’s highest fire risk of the year.
For days, California officials have been warning around the clock that extremely dry conditions combined with the season’s worst howling winds were creating tinderbox conditions for yet another round of wildfires. One person failed to heed that warning, however, and apparently started a 300-acre brush fire by tossing a cigarette butt into the dry grass. According to NBC Bay Area, the Suisun City Fire chief said a tossed cigarette ignited the dry brush and then 30 mph winds pushed it toward a highway. The fire grew to 300 acres before it was successfully extinguished. Some 250,000 PG&E customers remained without power as of Monday evening after the threat of the worst fire weather event of the season, with more high winds expected through Tuesday.
