Lawn Mower Sparks 100-Acre Foothill Fire

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — A fire that burned 100 acres of brush Thursday apparently started when a road construction worker struck a rock with a lawn mower, sending sparks onto dry grass, authorities said.

The fire was controlled more than two hours later by a brigade of 150 firefighters, five helicopters and three water-dropping planes, said Capt. Scott Brown, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. No injuries were reported and no homes were affected. But by the time the blaze was contained, it had singed the western border of the Coto de Caza subdivision, Brown said.

“Every house along the border of Coto de Caza had fire engines positioned next to it as a precaution,” Brown said.

The wildfire started about 4:30 p.m. as an employee who was part of a crew working on the southern extension of the Foothill Transportation Corridor was “painstakingly trying to mow” around an archeological site near Antonio Parkway and Avenida Empresa. The mower hit a rock and sent sparks flying, Brown said.

When firefighters arrived minutes later, the fire had spread to about 20 acres, Brown said. The blaze, which spread northeast, was controlled by 7 p.m., Brown said.