At approximately 10:32 a.m. on Monday, August 2, 2021 the Grass Valley / Nevada City Fire Department along with Nevada County Consolidated Fire and CalFire responded to a reported vegetation fire in the area of Brunswick Road and Idaho-Maryland Road.
Initial response included two Chief Officers, eight Engines, one Air Tanker, one Helicopter, one Dozer and a Water Tender. The first arriving unit reported approximate a .25 acre vegetation fire in heavy fuels with a moderate rate of spread and assumed “Brunswick Incident Command”.
Firefighters deployed hoselines to the flanks of the fire and quick work by the CalFire Dozer kept the head of the fire from racing uphill to more populated areas. Several drops from the Air Tanker and Helicopter cooled the interior of the fire. Many spot fires were caused by embers jumping Idaho-Maryland Road and igniting dry vegetation in a vacant field. Incoming units and the Dozer rapidly extinguished the starts.
Multiple agencies assisted with the incident both at scene and by providing backfill in vacant stations insuring that there were in gaps in service coverage. These departments included Ophir Hill Fire, Penn Valley Fire, Rough and Ready Fire, Peardale / Chicago Park Fire, Higgins Fire and one Engine from Placer County. Throughout the incident 32 different fire apparatus assisted with extinguishment. Also at scene and participating in a Unified Command were Law Enforcement partners including Grass Valley Police, Nevada County Sheriff and California Highway Patrol.
Forward progress of the fire was halted within one hour of dispatch. Fire was called contained at approximately 12:30 p.m. with the final size of the fire totaling 3.3 acres. Remaining resources began getting released at 1:00p.m. Firefighters will remain at scene throughout the day extinguishing hotspots and monitoring any smokes that may reappear.
The fire remains under investigation by the Grass Valley / Nevada City Fire Department.