Vegetation fire stalls traffic on Fountaingrove Parkway in Santa Rosa

Landscaping machinery sparked two small grass fires in Santa Rosa Monday afternoon, prompting cautionary reminders from fire officials to mow early in the morning before the humidity drops.

The larger of the two fires burned about two acres of a hillside in Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood, between a row of houses and the Keysight Technologies campus, Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Mark Basque said.

The fire started just before 2 p.m. in the backyard of a Gardenview Court house while a resident was using a weed wacker, Basque said. The property backed up to the grassy hillside.

The fire quickly spread but stopped when it reached an adjacent patch of grassland recently grazed over by a herd of goats, Basque said.

An earlier fire burned about a quarter of an acre near Olivet Elementary School on Willowside Road. Someone on a riding mower started the fire, which briefly threatened a few barns until crews arrived, said acting Rincon Valley Battalion Chief Ron Busch.

He encouraged people to mow before 10 a.m. and have a hose or fire extinguisher handy when mowing.

- Julie Johnson