A fire official said today that investigators have determined
the point of origin for the two-acre field blaze that came close to
nearby homes Thursday evening, but there is not a definitive cause
at this point.
HOLLISTER
A fire official said today that investigators have determined the point of origin for the two-acre field blaze that came close to nearby homes Thursday evening, but there is not a definitive cause at this point.
The fire burned two acres in an open plot near R.O. Hardin Elementary School and came within about 25 feet of several homes’ back yards before crews fully extinguished it. In recent years, a blaze has cropped up just about annually in the weed-infested area.
Officials initially suspected it may have been a group of kids who caused the blaze, Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said Friday. But the follow-up investigation didn’t result in a definitive cause, while crews determined the point of origin was an area in the northwest portion of the plot where Homestead Avenue nearly intersects with Vali Way, fire Capt. Tim Schneider said Monday.
Schneider noted how police spoke with some neighborhood children who reported seeing kids running away in the area. That, however, doesn’t point definitively to a cause, he said.
“Even from our standpoint, that doesn’t necessarily mean they did it,” he said.
