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Grass fire in Keys started by cigarette lighter

Gregory Crofton

A grass fire that burned two-tenths of an acre on Wednesday in the Tahoe Keys was started by someone with a cigarette lighter, said South Lake Tahoe Fire Battalion Chief Scott Douglass.

Douglass said a lighter was found in the fire and it was clear that the fire had been deliberately set.

The blaze was reported by a citizen at 3 p.m. Fourteen firefighters laid 800 feet of hose to get water to the wildland fire and were able to get it under control by 3:25 p.m.



It started in a grassy area near Venice Drive and was headed for a grove of willows.

“I estimated the winds at 5 to 10 mph, and it was pushing toward the Truckee River,” Douglass said. “The winds could have easily picked up embers and cast them across the river where there are homes. When you consider the Martis fire and what it did, the space between the river and the house is not that great.”



The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department cleared the area by 4:46 p.m.


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