Vegetation fire near Santa Rosa stopped quickly

A vegetation fire that started Saturday afternoon on Riebli Road, just outside Santa Rosa city limits, was stopped within a half-hour.

The 2-acre fire in Rincon Valley started burning at about 2 p.m. in a rural residential area that was hit hard by the Tubbs Fire in October 2017. Smoke was visible to residents of Fountaingrove, the residential area where many homes had been lost.

“I give huge credit to all the folks in the Riebli and Mark West areas for being really good at creating a lot of defensible space,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nate Glaeser. “It slowed (the fire) down for sure.”

Two air tankers helped control the blaze as it reached the top of a hill.

“It took a half hour to contain it, then we had it under control in less than an hour and a half,” Glaeser said.

Crews worked the area for another few hours putting out hot spots, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Tyree Zander.

There was construction ongoing at the fire site, Glaeser said, and that a citation had been issued to the landowner, although Zander said the fire’s cause was still under investigation.

Responding agencies included Cal Fire, the Santa Rosa Fire Department and the Sonoma County Fire District, Zander said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5209.