Firefighters douse grass fire behind Cardinal Newman High School

Kids playing with matches sparked a grass fire Monday afternoon behind Cardinal Newman High School, said a Santa Rosa fire official.

The fire burned about an acre of field and right up to to a home on Angela Drive, scorching the landscaping, said Santa Rosa fire Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini.

Rincon Valley firefighters on the first engine to arrive stopped the flames from reaching the house and Santa Rosa firefighters on the next engine in stopped the fire from spreading up a nearby hill, Piccinini said.

Santa Rosa, Rincon Valley and Cal Fire firefighters responded.

A Cal Fire air tanker also responded but was called off when the fire was quickly under control.

A woman living in the area told arriving fire officials that her child and possibly others had started the fire. A fire investigator was talking to the mother and children, Piccinini said.

Angela Drive and the private high school are in northern Santa Rosa near Larkfield.

Firefighters were dispatched at 1:36 p.m. Response times included the Rincon Valley Larkfield crew arriving at 1:41 p.m. and the Santa Rosa crew from the Chanate Road station arriving at 1:43 p.m., according to Sonoma County fire dispatch records.