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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A vehicle fire just outside of the Lake County line on Friday shut down Highway 20 and resulted in a small vegetation fire nearby.
Officer John Waggoner of the California Highway Patrol's Williams office said the fire in the fifth-wheel travel trailer began at 10:20 a.m.
Waggoner said 65-year-old Edward Alexander of Fort Bragg was towing the trailer with his pickup westbound on Highway 20 just east of Highway 16 when he looked in his mirror and saw smoke.
Alexander pulled over to the right as far as he could but was still partially blocking the westbound lane, Waggoner said.
At that point, the fire started spreading in the trailer. Waggoner said Alexander was able to unhook his pickup and get it away from the trailer.
Waggoner said the trailer fire sparked a vegetation fire.
Luckily, with a Cal Fire station located nearby, firefighters were able to quickly respond, Waggoner said. “They were able to get a jump on this fire before it got too far.”
Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship said the fire burned up the hill from the trailer. In all, a total of four acres were burned.
Blankenship said there were no structures threatened and no injuries.
Cal Fire sent a helicopter, three engines and 15 firefighters, and a battalion chief, while the Williams Fire Department sent one engine and one water tender, with one water tender coming from Colusa, Blankenship said.
Waggoner said the trailer was a total loss, burning down to its frame.
The highway was completely closed for about an hour in order to let fire equipment access the trailer, Waggoner said.
Once the fire was extinguished, the highway was reopened with traffic control. Waggoner said the highway was completely reopened at 12:45 p.m.
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