Just an hour into fire weather watch issued by the National Weather Service, the Modesto Fire Department tackled the first of two big vegetation fires Sunday.
The first incident occurred in La Grange and was reported at 9:06 a.m. The fire already was at 20 acres when crews arrived. A battalion chief’s incident report said the fire was at steep drainage, which required the use of hose lays. Hose lays are preconfigured arrangements of fire hoses for high-stress situations.
The blaze was held to 35 acres and crews remained at the area during the afternoon. The cause of the fire was a bird on a power line, the fire department said…