Modesto Fire Department crews responded to six fires Thursday, including a four-alarm blaze that threatened homes and prompted evacuations near the 1800 block of East Hatch Road. The busy day unfolded as temperatures rose and wind conditions shifted — a pattern that forecasters warn will continue into the weekend.
The first fire was reported around 6:30 a.m. near East Whitmore Avenue and Morgan Road. Crews contained the blaze after it burned about 15 acres of open field, threatening nearby homes and commercial buildings.
Just after 2 p.m., firefighters responded to Warnerville Road, where a large pile of railroad ties was burning. That fire was quickly brought under control with help from additional engines and water tenders.
At 2:40 p.m., another vegetation fire ignited in an open field between Seventh and Ninth streets, consuming about 40 acres before it was contained.
Roughly an hour later, crews were called to West Hatch and Carpenter roads, where a river bottom fire was burning uphill toward homes. The call was upgraded to a potential structure fire due to the threat. Eighteen units responded, and firefighters ultimately held the fire to about three acres…