Grass fire along Tuolumne River in Modesto forces evacuations, damages home
A grass fire forced mandatory evacuations and damaged a home in Modesto on Thursday, officials said.
Modesto Fire said it was burning in the area of West Hatch Road and South Carpenter Road along the Tuolumne River on the western side of the city.
Crews found the fire along the south bank of the Tuolumne River, burning near two homes.
Firefighters said four homes were told to shelter in place or evacuate. Crews said one home was damaged.
Flames were first reported around 3:50 p.m. The fire burned around three acres and was contained shortly after 4:30 p.m., Modesto Fire said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
An unrelated fire at B Street between 7th and 9th streets in Modesto burned 25 acres earlier in the afternoon. The Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District said shortly after 3:30 p.m. that the forward progress of that fire was stopped.