A brush fire blazed 2 acres along Interstate 15 south of Gopher Canyon Road yesterday, August 22. Firefighters immediately went to the area in an attempt to efface the fire that quickly spread, delaying motorists. Witness say that the fire started on the west side of the freeway at around 5:20 pm.

Evident traces of the fire was the smoke that drifted over the freeway, causing motorists to watch an air tanker drop retardant on the hillside near the shoulder. Captain Matt Streck of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that the fire retardant air drops gave the 30 Cal Fire and Pala Reservation firefighters time to encircle the flames. It took them about half an hour to control the fire.

Investigators found that the fire was started by pieces of a catalytic converter being blown out the exhaust pipe on a passing vehicle. It did not appear that the blaze was intentionally set, and Streck said the driver probably didn’t know what happened. No homes were threatened by the blaze. Owners of catalytic converters must be cautious to the extent of their catcon’s flammable properties, since this has not been the first incident of a bush fire caused by the catalytic converter.

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