Smoke Closed Freeway Ramps, Briefly

By Bay City News Service

Two small grass fires that closed several freeway ramps in the
Fairfield area Sunday afternoon were extinguished quickly with little damage, according to fire officials.
           A fire reported just after 3 p.m. in an area near eastbound
Interstate Highway 80 at Green Valley Road closed connector ramps including
the northbound Interstate Highway 680 to eastbound I-80 ramp, the eastbound
I-80 ramp to southbound I-680, and the Green Valley Road on and off-ramps to
I-80, according to the California Highway Patrol.
           The closures, due to smoke on the road, were lifted in less than
an hour. The fire, located right next to the freeway, was less than half an
acre in size and was quickly extinguished, said Fairfield Battalion Chief
Steve Trepagnier.
           The fire's cause remains unknown.
           A second, smaller fire was also reported near state Highway 12 and
Chadbourne Road around 3:10 p.m. That fire briefly closed an onramp to
eastbound state Highway 12.
           Trepagnier said a third report of fire in the Benicia area, near
southbound Interstate 680 just north of Parish Road just before 3:30 p.m.,
appears to have been unfounded.