Small grass fire erupts near Jensen Avenue and Highway 99 in Fresno

Fresno firefighters quickly smothered a small grass fire that flared up Wednesday afternoon near Highway 99 in southeast Fresno.

Spokesman Hector Vasquez said three units responded to the area of Jensen Avenue and Golden State Boulevard just after 2 p.m. They found a small grass fire, which created a lot of smoke due to the dry conditions.

The fire was contained within 15 minutes, and its cause is under investigation. Vasquez said investigators are not sure whether this incident and a series of small fires along Fresno highways over the past few weeks are related.

“Everything is so hot and dry – it doesn’t take much to get things going,” Vasquez said. “It’s hard to determine the cause. It could be as simple as someone throwing a cigarette out of their window or a dragging chain from a trailer, creating a few sparks.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Small grass fire erupts near Jensen Avenue and Highway 99 in Fresno."