A horse's
shoe striking a rock sparked a weekend wildfire that threatened
an affluent subdivision perched on the edge of the American River
Canyon, an investigator determined Monday.
The horse
and its rider may never have known they caused the blaze that,
as of Monday evening, blackened 125 acres in the town of Newcastle,
said Tina Rose, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry.
There is no
way of knowing how long the spark smoldered in the bone-dry brush
in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area before it broke into
a wildfire Sunday afternoon, Rose said.
An investigator
found horseshoe prints at the site of the fire's origin near an
equestrian trail and ruled out other possible causes such as lightning,
a burning cigarette or even a piece of broken glass that might
have acted as a magnifying glass.
Firefighters
were near 100 percent containment Monday afternoon, Rose said.
Some of the 430 firefighters battling the blaze about 45 miles
east of Sacramento were expected to be released Tuesday.
The fire burned
to within a half-mile of the upscale homes scattered along the
ridge above the north fork of the American River.
There were
no injuries or structures lost. A voluntary evacuation order for
about 80 homes was lifted early Sunday evening after bulldozers
cut a firebreak to prevent the blaze from creeping up the canyon.
Small groups
of residents, including children on bikes, skateboards and scooters,
gathered along Eagles Nest street Sunday to watch the air tankers
thunder overhead, dropping water or fire retardant on the smoky
blaze.
"Wow!
Rock on!" shouted a group of youngsters as one tanker's engines
shook the neighborhood.
At least eight
air tankers fought the blaze, backed by ground crews who worked
the fire in the steep terrain.
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