Placer County Grass Fires Force Highway Closure, Evacuations; At Least 1 Home Burned

APPLEGATE, Placer County (AP) — Firefighters battled five grass fires that grew to more than 100 acres and forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 80 and home evacuations Wednesday near the unincorporated community of Applegate in Placer County.

At least one home was burned, according to CBS Sacramento.

California Highway Patrol officers were alerted to the fires around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, CHP Officer Mike Martis said. At least two callers reported seeing several car tires burning along the interstate's eastbound shoulder, he said.

The cause of the fires remains under investigation, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

"We don't know the cause, but any time we have multiple fires that started in the same area along the roadside, that tells us we probably have human activity," Berlant said. "It does not necessarily point toward arson, but our investigators are working to determine that."

MORE: Complete Coverage, Interactive Map Of California Wildfires 

Interstate 80's eastbound lanes were closed for several hours, and Cal Fire ordered the evacuation of several homes in the Weimar area.

Placer County Sheriff deputies helped with the evacuations, Martis said.

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• CHP
• Fire