Valley Fire crews got the upper hand on an aggressively burning grass fire behind Sycamore Valley Elementary School in Danville Tuesday, but not without air support and before the fast-moving blaze consumed nearly 50 acres of grassland
The fire, first reported as about an acre in size at 10:56 a.m., had tripled in size by 11:10 a.m. and scorched more than 30 acres when its forward progress was halted at 12:20 p.m.
Firefighters called for a second alarm shortly after the blaze was observed. A CalFire vegetation response was initiated with crews maneuvering to protect adjacent structures while a bomber dropping fire retardant and other heavy equipment eventually corralled the blaze.
No structures were burned and no injuries reported. Firefighters remained on the scene mopping up the area through much of the afternoon.
The fire sent up a substantial column of smoke that was seen from some distance, triggering additional calls of concern from skittish residents east of the blaze.
