The grass fire that tore through five acres of Bayshore land Friday and knocked out power to thousands of San Mateo residents was most likely caused by a bird, fire officials said.
Smoldering embers drew firefighters back to the scene Saturday afternoon but they mostly calmed jittery neighbors, said John Warren, San Mateo battalion chief.
"It was roots and grass but no actual fire," Warren said.
Meanwhile, fire warnings were issued throughout the Bay Area over the holiday weekend because of circumstances like those at play Friday: dry grass, low humidity and high temperatures.
Friday's afternoon blaze also had another element: one hungry bird.
Around 4:50 p.m., The bird grabbed a snake from the ground and perched on some electrical equipment near Coyote Point Park to eat it, said Warren.
The snake struck a wire, causing a short circuit that burnt the bird to death. The burning bird's corpse fell to the ground, setting off the grass fire and causing 6,100 residential homes connected to the nearby PG&E substation to lose power. The fire was doused in about an hour. Power was restored in an hour.
The cause of the fire is not uncommon and a similar incident occurred off Ralston Avenue two years ago, Warren said.
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CA Is Burning said:
The ideological blind sheep are editing & endorsing. When will integrity and honesty return to newspapers, large and small?
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