Bus Fire Ignites Brush; Closes Napa Co./So. Lake Co. Highway

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bus Fire Ignites Brush; Closes Napa Co./So. Lake Co. Highway

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY – Officials have shut down a portion of Highway 29 over Mount St. Helena due to a bus fire that in turn caused a small grass fire.

The California Highway Patrol is reporting that Caltrans has closed Highway 29 at Tubbs Lane in Napa County and also on the Lake County side of Mount St. Helena due to the fire involving a tour bus, which first was reported at approximately 12:48 p.m.

Power lines also were reported to be down in the area, requiring the assistance of Pacific Gas and Electric to cut power to the lines before they caught fire.

Michael Selmi of Cal Fire's Incident Command Center in St. Helena said the tour bus caught nearby grass on fire, burning one and a half to two acres on each side of the highway. He said firefighters have contained the blaze.

No one on the bus was injured, Selmi reported. Selmi said the highway is expected to be closed until about 5:30 p.m. Cal Fire remains at work mopping up the fire area, he said. “We'll be on scene there for a while. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Caltrans advises motorists to use an alternate route.

Source Article: Lake County News
Other articles at: CBS5, ABC7 and Napa Valley Register.com

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008