Firefighters quickly contained a 3-acre grass fire in San Francisco’s McLaren Park late Sunday night after illegal fireworks were set off nearby, authorities said.
The blaze was reported at 10:45 p.m. on June 30 near the corner of Delta Street and Wilde Avenue, on the south side of the park near an elementary school, San Francisco Fire Capt. Justin Schorr said.
The fire was contained within 30 minutes despite the challenging hilly terrain of the park, Schorr said.
There was no damage to nearby homes and no one was hurt. Luckily, some residents had recently done landscaping work that made their properties safer.
“Some nearby residents had just cleared tall grass away from their houses, creating what we call defensible space,” Schorr said. “That simple action saved their homes from being threatened.”
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials noted that there were large fireworks being set off in the area.
“We’re not confident of the cause, but we know what a common cause is,” Schorr added, cautioning against the use of illegal fireworks.
The fire department urged residents to attend professional fireworks shows instead of using consumer fireworks, which are often mislabeled and can be dangerous.