Photo: CAL Fire/County of San Diego
SAN DIEGO–Fire investigators said the cause of the deadly Carr fire in Redding was a flat tire on a trailer. When the rim scraped the concrete roadway, it sparked a fire.
Wildfires are the biggest disaster risk San Diegans regularly face, and most are caused by people in some way. In fact, vehicle-related fires are in the top two causes of wildfires in the county. These fires can be a vehicle engine catching fire because it is poorly maintained, a failing catalytic converter, a flat tire, someone dragging a metal chain, or perhaps pulling over in a brushy area on the side of the road and igniting the dry grass.
“People just need to be really cognizant and think about the fire danger risk when they’re driving and need to pull over,” said Kendal Bortisser, CAL FIRE and County Fire captain. “People pull off the side of a road for a number of different reasons like changing drivers, getting a phone call, vehicle trouble or someone being sick. Sometimes people are unaware that if they pull off the road and there’s grass, it could catch fire. It could be a really bad move.”
As the hot weather and dry conditions continue, it is important for everyone to be vigilant about fire prevention. In order to be aware, Bortisser discussed the top causes of fires in the county areas in the last two years.
In cases in which the investigator was able to determine a cause, most wildfires this year and last were caused by vehicles.
