Grass fire creates thick smoke above Clovis. Here’s the latest

A grass fire sent a billowing cloud of gray smoke skyward just north of Clovis on Thursday afternoon.

The fire burned near Fowler and Behymer avenues, a rural area of Fresno County with some large swaths of empty land and some ranch homes.

The fire was contained before 4:30 p.m.. to around 85 acres in a dry ponding basin, Cal Fire Public Information Officer Daniel Uria said. There were no evacuations or homes threatened, he said. The cause was not immediately known.

Smoke became visible at distance just after 3 p.m. and was eventually seen for miles including from the area of Shaw and Peach avenues. Uria said Cal Fire received the fire call around 3:30 p.m.

Firefighters contended with difficult conditions.. At 4 p.m. it was 90 degrees in Clovis with southeasterly winds blowing above 10 mph.

This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 4:15 PM.