Cigarette butt sparked fire that burned more than 300 acres, California officials say

A blaze that burned over 300 acres in Solano County was sparked by a discarded cigarette butt, fire officials said.

“The cause of the fire was determined to be a discarded cigarette,” Suisun City Fire Chief Justin Vincent said Tuesday, KCRA reported.

The fire was sparked Monday at around 2:00 p.m. and was quickly spread by 30-mph winds, according to the Suisun City Fire Department.

Crews contained the blaze to a marsh area using a helicopter to help extinguish the flames, according to KCRA.

The fire was extinguished later that day, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District wrote on Twitter.

“Peterson Fire near Fairfield that has been causing smoky skies in central CCC now extinguished. Smoke should be subsiding soon,” the county said.

The fire ultimately burned over 300 acres but no structures were threatened or lost, the Suisun fire department said.

Joyce Hollingsworth, who could see the fire from her home, told NBC Bay Area that she had prepared to evacuate.

“I looked outside and saw flames,” she said. “I went and got medication together and put it in a bag.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Cigarette butt sparked fire that burned more than 300 acres, California officials say."