Wood chipper causes vegetation fire in Redding on Thursday
A wood chipper fed building materials containing nails and screws that tossed out sparks apparently caused a fire in the Alma Avenue area on Thursday, according to the Redding Police Department.
A Redding fire crew conducting training in the area behind Kids Kingdom at 1:45 p.m. noticed smoke and hiked to the area, where they found a vegetation fire “working its way up a hill towards houses,” Assistant Fire Marshal Ryan Masterson said in a statement released May 2.
The crews were able to radio for fire engines to respond to the 3900 block of Alma Avenue, where the fire was was quickly contained to one quarter-acre, he said.
The fire was caused by a landowner who had hired a company to chip and clear brush on his property, the department said. Sparks from the chipper, caused by metal from building materials, caused the fire, according to the department.
Earlier on Thursday, Redding fire officials had responded to a structure fire at 3000 block of West St. at 8:30 a.m. Fire crews found smoke coming from attic vent of a single-family home with two occupants. Authorities said fire personnel were able to contain a fire to an exterior wall of the structure.An electrical failure was deemed the cause of the West Street fire, officials said.No injuries were reported.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Two separate fires caused in Redding on Thursday
