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The biggest forest fire in California's history was caused by a burning fragment of an owner who hammered a metal stake into the ground, the fire protection agency said Thursday. of the state.
The raging fire that erupted on July 27, 2018 killed a firefighter and burned over 400,000 hectares in the counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino, the Department of Forestry and Protection said. the California fire. More than 280 structures were damaged or destroyed.
The fire, which was part of a larger fire called the Mendocino complex, "was caused by a spark or a scorching metal fragment landing in a receptive fuel bed," said L & # 's 39, agency, adding that the spark came from a floor hammer.
No charges have been filed against the owner, who has not been identified. A spokesman for Cal Fire said the investigators had found no violation of state law.
According to an investigation report, the owner told officials that he was putting in place a shade cloth that had melted when he had disturbed an underground nest of jackets. yellow. He is allergic to bee stings and, after the insects stopped swarming, he quickly hammered the stake to plug the hole, the report said.
Soon after, the owner smelled smoke and saw a fire in the vegetation. He tried using a shovel and then a hose to extinguish the fire, but the heat "twisted" the pipe and restricted the flow of water, the report said. . He also tried to use a PVC water pipe connected to tanks, but could not get enough pressure to reach the fire.
The fire started in the community of Upper Lake, Mendocino County, and was fueled by very dry vegetation, high winds and high temperatures, Cal Fire said in a statement.
The investigation report indicated that the temperature was 100 degrees.
A firefighter from Utah died in August from injuries he sustained while fighting the fire, and three other firefighters were also injured.
In total, the Mendocino complex burned 459,123 acres, more than 717 square miles. Both fires were completely under control in September.
The counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino are located northwest of Sacramento and include the Mendocino National Forest.
The fire at the Mendocino complex is more important than that of Thomas Fire, the second largest in the history of the modern state and raging in the counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara near Los Angeles in late 2017 and early 2018.
This fire was caused by power lines coming into contact with strong winds, said Cal Fire.
Two deaths were attributed to the Thomas fire and mudslides and debris caused by heavy rains in the burned area a month after the start of his fire killed 21 people. Two people disappeared and were not found.
The most lethal and destructive forest fire in California's history is Camp Fire, which erupted in November 2018 and devastated the city of Paradise, in northern California. Eighty-five people were killed. Cal Fire said in May that the power transmission lines of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. had caused the fire. More than 18,800 structures were destroyed.
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