Pocket fire: Cloverdale man arrested in connection with lawnmower that sparked Geyserville wildfire

According to Cal Fire, a Cloverdale man was arrested Saturday in connection with the 11-acre Pocket Fire that raged north of Geyserville on Saturday.

The man was booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa on charges of one felony count of unlawful arson of a building or wooded area and three other misdemeanors, Cal Fire said Sunday.

According to Cal Fire, the cause of the Pocket Fire was determined to be the use of a riding lawn mower in 4-foot-tall dried annual grass, Cal Fire said in a statement released Sunday.

The suspect arrested Saturday was arrested on suspicion of a felony and three misdemeanors, Cal Fire said. The offenses included violations of California’s health and safety codes and the state’s rules governing the use of public resources.

This section of the Health and Safety Regulations applies to anyone who, through careless or negligent action, places a substance capable of causing fire in a place where a fire may break out.

The relevant sections of the Public Resource Code state that when a permit is required to burn, the use of certain tools is prohibited within 25 feet of combustible material and that a person without a permit may not burn combustible material on property that he or she does not own or legally control.

RELATED TOPICS: CAL FIRE quickly contains brush fire near Geyserville

“The metal blades of riding lawn mowers can start fires when they hit rocks. In addition to lawn mowers, weed whackers, chain saws, grinders, welders, tractors and trimmers can also start a wildfire. Working on shelter delineation is essential to creating a protective perimeter around your home to protect it from wildfires, but only if done under the right weather conditions,” Cal Fire said in a statement released Sunday.

Given the combination of extreme heat, increased fire danger and an abundance of dried grass and brush in most parts of California, Cal Fire will respond to human-caused wildfires with maximum severity, the agency said.

The Pocket Fire broke out at 11:19 a.m. Saturday near Pocket Ranch Road and Ridge Oaks Road.