Sacramento Fire Crews Prepare For Another Round Of Heavy Winds, Possible Fires

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The remnants of charred earth and smoky smell of the Interstate 5 grass fire were clearly visible from the roadside Monday.

Some say the fear from the fire still sits with them.

"I got home and I saw the severity of the fire that was happening less than a block away from my house and I was like, 'Oh my, goodness!'" Kirk Wadi said.

"It literally was around the corner from my house," Takeitah Jones said. "We just started taking the initiative ourselves to get out."

Sacramento Metro Fire said we're lucky the fires that happened on I-5 near Arena Boulevard and the one that happened on US 50 and Mather Field didn't turn into something like the I-80 Fire in Vallejo and the Kincade Fire.

"These areas have the same kind of fuels that we have," Captain Chris Vestal, a Metro Fire spokesperson, said. "We're experiencing the same kind of weather phenomena with dry winds. And, those really can push the fire."

Vestal said these fires are a reminder of how much wind can be a factor in fires spreading. The Metro Fire spokesperson told CBS13 that Sacramento-area fires tend to be faster fires based on the fuel that's in our area. He said those fuels include grass and shrubbery instead of the heavily-wooded area that we see in areas like Sonoma County.

That's why Metro Fire has to make plans to be able to adjust to whatever blows their way with Tuesday's heavy gusts.

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"We have to put the resources ahead of it and we have to determine where we are going to try to cut it off. And, if we provide any additional measures to protect homes and people," Vestal said.

Some homeowners said they can only prepare so much for what a new breeze coming into the area. But they're confident that crews will be able to contain a fire that sparks like the ones on the freeways.

"I'm sure they put some measures, stop-gap measures in order to keep it from burning again," Wadi said.

"I mean I feel like they're ahead of the game," Jones said. "I think that they are very much aware of what's going on."