Teen sets grass fire at Rollins Lake

Quick response by campers averted what could have been a major catastrophe at Long Ravine Campground on Rollins Lake Friday afternoon.A 14-old-boy visiting from the Bay Area later apologized to campers for starting the fire in a grassy area behind campsites in the upper loop, said Folsom resident Beverly Bestpitch, who was staying at the campgrounds. The teen attempted to stomp out the fire, but it got away from him in a matter of seconds. Another boy ran for help while a family in a nearby campsite jumped into action."I grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran toward the area where I could already see flames and smoke rising above the brush," said Mike Womack of Walnut Creek. "I handed the phone to my son and told him to call the front desk."Cody Womack initiated the help of neighbors. "I called 911 directly and my husband and a few other campers took four other extinguishers to the fire," said Bestpitch. "Everyone in the area remained calm and worked together."Cal Fire and the Colfax Volunteer Fire Department arrived less than five minutes later. The CDF tanker plane monitored the Firefighting operations."Your Colfax Volunteer Fire Department is something for your community to so be proud of," Bestpitch said.Camp host Dee Wolfe said a fire crew cleared a path through the thick Manzanita with chain saws to make the area more accessible to fire crews.CHP began evacuating the campers, but the fire was quickly contained. Less than a quarter of an acre of land was scorched. No one was injured. Long Ravine Manager Lance Engelstad said most of the campsites were already occupied for the Fourth of July weekend. "I am so amazed by how our emergency services worked together so professionally and with a coordinated effort to get this fire under control so fast," he said. "It was located in a critical area that could have spread so quickly to the surrounding homes. The consequences could've been disastrous."The rapid response of campers kept the flames from causing more damage, he continued."They are the real heroes of the day," he said.As far as the youth, Mike Womack said, "It was just a dumb thing to do, but I think he learned a valuable lesson." Around 8 a.m. Monday, a small grass fire broke out on the westbound side of Interstate 80 just past the Canyon Way onramp of Interstate 80, reported Colfax Volunteer firefighter Brennan Sheffield.A Colfax area truck driver saw the fire burning, stopped his truck and used a fire extinguisher to put it out, Sheffield said.Firefighters stayed on scene to be sure the fire was extinguished.Sheffield suspects it was inadvertently started by a catalytic converter."When they're not maintained, they send out little bits of ceramic that are about 2,000 degrees," he said. "I couldn't find any at the site, but they're hard to find."— Gloria Beverage contributed to this report..