Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sacramento, CA

Firefighters put a damp end to a brush fire that burned nearly an acre behind Hungry Hunter restaurant. Sacramento Firefighters’ quick response may have saved a historical restaurant building as well. The slow moving fire that burned nearly an acre this afternoon, burned up slope toward the freeway. One engine company went through the fence, at the bottom of the fire, to make a quick attack, while two more engines helped bring it under control on the top from the freeway side. While this fire was slow moving at the time, with the Delta Breeze picking up, it could have caused a different outcome resulting in a real fight for firefighters to protect surrounding structures. There were several thick trees in the burn area that could have torched had the conditions been different. When torching occurs, the breeze can blow embers that start spot fires in surrounding areas. Just adjacent to the Hungry Hunter sits a Sacramento icon, the former Rusty Duck Restaurant. The Rusty Duck is an all wood structure with shake shingles as siding all around. Thanks to the quick response of the Sacramento Fire Department, this fire was contained and controlled very quickly leaving only charred ground and no damage to structures or people.