Lawn mower sparks grass fire in Fresno County as temperatures rise

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Firefighters say a lawn mower sparked a fire in Fresno County on Wednesday.

The fire just after 1 pm at a home near Temperance and Olive Avenues, just outside Fresno city limits.

The fire burned about an acre and a half of land, destroying a barn and a small building.

A power pole also burned all the way through.

Fire investigators say a man was using a lawnmower when the fire sparked and spread quickly.

While he was trying to do the right thing by keeping his weeds down, first responders say he made one mistake.

"Unfortunately, he was doing it at the wrong time of day. It just took a small spark to get this grass going. We're looking at a day right now where it's about 100 degrees outside low humidity. so this is the prime time for fires to start," explained Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Dan O'Meara.

"If you have to mow, you do it really early in the morning or you do it late at night when humidity levels is up and the temperatures are down."

Firefighters say with this hot weather, you should do any type of mowing in the early morning or at night.

Experts also recommend using a weed eater to maintain your yard. It's a safer tool that could still get the job done.

Officials say they got this fire quickly knocked down but not as fast as they would have liked to because they had to keep firefighters hydrated and safe in the heat.

As we inch closer to triple-digit heat, battling flames can become extremely dangerous for fire crews.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning in most parts of Central California.

It starts on Saturday and is expected to last through Monday.

Fresno County Fire Battalion Chief Seth Brown says the department is keeping firefighters prepared.

"When the firefighters are coming back on for a peak fire season, we take them out there and we do outside training and outside physical fitness work," said Brown.

He says fire crews will be better equipped to work in the heat.

The department also shortens work cycles. Making sure fire crews are not overheated.

Officials say 95% of grass and wildfires are caused by people.

They expect fire season to run a little longer this year with the extremely wet winter we experienced.

So, that's why they are encouraging everyone to be safe this summer.

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