By Bay City News
A vegetation fire that burned 20 acres north of Vacaville on Monday afternoon was sparked by a property owner using a riding lawn mower, afire chief said today.
The fire started around 1:15 p.m. on the resident's property inthe 4400 block of Buena Vista Lane off Timm Road, Vacaville Fire ProtectionDistrict Chief Howard Wood said.
The fire burned a barn and two travel trailers on properties inthe area. Sixty firefighters responded, and kept the blaze from reachingeight nearby homes, Wood said.
The fire was contained around 3:45 p.m. and was extinguished by6:30 p.m., Wood said. Cal Fire remained at the scene overnight.
It was the fifth fire in the area in the last 30 days that wasstarted by a riding lawn mower, Wood said.
Wood said fires can start when dry grass that accumulates as apowder on a riding mower begins to smolder from the friction of the mower'srubber belt. The riders are often unaware of the embers that then drop ontothe dry grass below, he said.
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