Five fire departments fought a vegetation fire in Vallejo at Admiral Callaghan Lane and Turner Parkway, near I-80 on Saturday night, officials said.
Police also put took one man into custody in relation to the fire. In a statement put out Sunday, the Vallejo Fire Department wrote that several people saw him start the fire from the roadway and detained him until police arrived.
The fire department is investigating and is treated the fire as arson.
About 48 firefighters from Vallejo, Fairfield, Benicia, American Canyon and Crockett were on the scene of the blaze, which was reported about 6:51 p.m., Vallejo Fire Capt. Aaron Klauber said.
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Multiple structures were threatened, the fire department said in a Tweet.
By 7:55 p.m., fire crews reported that the fire's forward progress had been stopped. Firefighters remained on the scene into the night, mopping up the blaze and monitoring the smoldering dry grass.
The fire took place in a grassy field and people living in homes next to this field were asked to evacuate, residents said.
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By sunset, residents were able to return home and breathe a sigh of relief.
Evelyn Dunn, whose backyard fence is directly next to the field, explained she didn't realize what was burning at first.
She recalled, “We were sitting in the living room and all we saw was a cloud of smoke and I was like 'Oh my God somebody’s house is on fire.'"
Dunn said she quickly realized what she was seeing was not a house on fire.
"And then it's like 'Oh my God, the field!'" Dunn recalled. "So me and my daughter ran to the back and it started getting closer and closer and closer, you can’t see anything, it's just black smoke."
Dunn said that neighbors began proactively helping one another hose down their properties as they watched the fire draw closer.
Then, Dunn and her family were asked to evacuate.
When they returned home, they saw the fire had burned their fence but didn't go any further.
“It already started to burn up the fence, with the dry brush, we wouldn’t ve had a chance,” she said.
"Thanks to the Vallejo Fire Department, because if it wasn’t for them, our houses would be gone," Dunn emphasized.
Bay City News contributed to the report.
