SACRAMENTO – Business 80 was closed as firefighters battled a grass fire near Cal Expo Sunday afternoon in Sacramento.
The Sacramento Fire Department said the fire burned about three acres down to the freeway.
Fire Department Public Information Officer Justin Sylvia said the heavy vegetation made it difficult for crews to get hoses and engines to the fire.
Sylvia said the black smoke people saw was not only from burning grass and vegetation, but also from homeless camps that were burning.
Investigators responded because there were persons of interest at the homeless encampment, Sylvia said. Investigators will also interview witnesses to determine whether the fire was started accidentally or intentionally.
Helicopters were seen dropping water on the water. Sylvia explained that the helicopter was helpful because of the difficulty of accessing the fire and the fact that there were no fire hydrants in the area.
Traffic on Business 80 was halted around 4:45 p.m. at Exposition Boulevard for southbound traffic and near the American River Bridge for northbound traffic. Approximately 30 minutes later, traffic resumed flowing in both directions.
No injuries were reported.
