The Occidental fire began as a one acre vegetation fire off of Occidental Avenue in Palermo on Monday afternoon, but had grown to 15 acres in less than an hour - threatening two structures as well as nearby railroad tracks. According to CalFire, it took twenty-one firefighters, five engines, four water tenders and a bulldozer to battle the fire and they were able to stop it from reaching the structures.
Officials say the fire was definitely human caused, and that a lot of people are under a false assumption that the frequent rains this year made fires less of a risk. CalFire officials say that there's actually MORE grass to burn due to this year's wetter weather, and warn residents not to neglect fire safety precautions.