RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Two wildland fires that broke out near Rancho Murieta on Aug. 3 and 4 raised concern among residents who saw smoke and heard sirens. 

Both fires were contained at approximately six acres each, with no structures threatened and no injuries reported.

The first incident, known as the Murieta Fire, was reported around 7 p.m. Aug. 3 in the 14800 block of Jackson Highway. This fire occurred on ranch land located south of Jackson Highway and east of the Cosumnes River. 

The second fire was spotted around 4 p.m. Aug. 4 at the end of the Rancho Murieta Airport runway, west of the river. This fire moved into heavy brush and trees in steep terrain adjacent to the river, necessitating extensive mop-up operations, according to Captain Parker Wilbourn, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Sac Metro) public information officer.

Wilbourn said that Sac Metro and CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) operated a joint command for both incidents, successfully halting the fires' forward progress at approximately six acres each. 

While Sac Metro firefighters and equipment were the first to respond, both fire areas fall within a state-responsibility area, meaning that CAL FIRE is responsible for investigating the fires’ causes.

The River Valley Times also contacted CAL FIRE but was unable to get more details about the fires, including the causes, before press time.

 The Cantova Fire scanner traffic indicated that mowing caused that fire. A Sac Metro aerial photo of the Cantova Fire shows a large agricultural field, apparently hay, that had been partially mowed.

Wilbourne said that Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers responded to the Cantova Fire to provide rehabilitation support due to the triple-degree temperatures. 

CERT, a volunteer branch of Sac Metro, assists at various incidents, Wilbourn added.