Several West County fire departments responded late Monday afternoon to a fire along the Rodota Trail in the same area as a fire on August 17. White smoke could be seen from the Barlow. Noticing the rising smoke, a local said: “I don’t think that’s the fog coming in.”
Sebastopol Fire Chief Bill Braga was on the scene and he thought it unlikely that the fire was intentionally set. “It is probably accidental, which is still illegal, but likely from a cooking fire,” he said. Today’s fire occurred about the same time of day as the previous fire. It was put out by 5pm.
Brian Flath, who was on his bicycle in the area, shared the short video and the photos above. He was there with his wife, Jill McLewis, who came over from her chocolate shop in Gravenstein Station. She is also a candidate for City Council.
McLewis said that today’s fire as well as the previous one have upset residents of Eleanor Avenue who live near the trail. She said one couple was in tears while packing up to evacuate in case the fire spread. Reportedly, some residents have written the City Council and asked them to prevent these fires from happening. The area near the Rodota trail where the fires broke out is city-owned property.
Another Fire Along the Rodota Trail