The small grass fire moved close to a barn, burning up some debris. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

LAKEPORT – Weed mowing is believed to be the cause of a small fire that was sparked Friday morning.

The fire was reported at 9:57 a.m. in the 3700 block of Highway 175, said Lakeport Fire Protection District Chief Ken Wells.

“There was a gentlemen out there mowing weeds and it started a grass fire,” Wells said.

The six-acre fire went through an orchard and burned debris around a barn, but no structures were lost, said Wells. The person living at the address reported there were no losses, he added.

Three engines and six firefighters from Lakeport Fire responded, along with an engine from Kelseyville Fire and three firefighters, said Wells.

Wells said Cal Fire also sent two engines, a hand crew and a helicopter, the latter used to make water drops.

The fire was contained at approximately 10:10 a.m., Wells said.

Wells said it was hard to know how exactly how the fire started, although he didn't attribute any fault to the man mowing the weeds with a tractor.

“We tell people not to cut grass after 10 a.m. because the humidity comes down at the temperature goes up,” he said.

The mowing, he added, was taking place right at that cutoff time. Wells added that the fire didn't appear to have been sparked by the mower hitting a rock.

With the season's extreme fire danger, the conditions were just right to start a fire, which could even have been caused by the hot tractor exhaust hitting the very dry grass, he said.

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Firefighters from Lakeport, Kelseyville and Cal Fire responded. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells (fourth from left in yellow turnout jacket) directed the firefighting effort. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

A Cal Fire helicopter made several water drops. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

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