Riding mower spark ignites half-acre grass fire near Petaluma

A spark from a riding mower set off a grass fire Sunday afternoon at a ranch on Wagner Lane east of Petaluma, a fire official said.

A woman mowing her yard saw the spark, followed by smoke and flames, under the mower and made an unsuccessful attempt to put it out, Rancho Adobe Fire Capt. Jimmy Bernal said.

Short grass around the home, a quick response by firefighters and the near absence of wind kept the blaze from getting out of control as it moved east toward Old Adobe Road, Bernal said.

The blaze, reported about 12:30 p.m., reached a row of eucalyptus trees. However, firefighters put it out before the fire reached the tree canopy and limited the blaze to half an acre, he said.

The conditions “lined up perfectly” to limit the fire’s spread, Bernal said. The fire ran through a barbed wire fence, forcing firefighters to get over it to reach the head of the blaze.

Bernal said he appreciated the resident’s efforts to maintain defensible space around her home, but said mowing ideally should be done early in the day, when temperatures are low, humidity is typically high and the wind usually hasn’t picked up.

The scorched mower was left sitting on charred grass.

Personnel from the Petaluma and Wilmar fire departments assisted Rancho Adobe, with a total of 13 firefighters involved.