Man arrested in connection to lawnmower that allegedly ignited fire near Geyserville, CAL FIRE says

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

The man was booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa on suspicion of a felony, to wit, unlawfully causing a fire of a structure or forest land, and also on suspicion of three misdemeanors, Cal Fire said Sunday.

According to Cal Fire, the cause of the Pocket Fire was determined to be the result of using a riding lawn mower in 4-foot-tall cured annual grasses, Cal Fire said in a statement released Sunday.

The suspect who was arrested Saturday was arrested on suspicion of a felony and on suspicion of three misdemeanors, Cal Fire said. The misdemeanors concerned violations of California's Health and Safety Code, as well as the state's public resource codes.

The referenced section of the Health and Safety Code applies to anyone who through careless or negligent action places any substance that might cause a fire anywhere it might start a blaze.

The applicable Public Resource Code sections state, respectively, that when burning permits are required, people can't use certain tools within 25 feet of flammable material, and that a person cannot set fire to flammable materials on land that is not their own or under their legal control without permission.

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"The metal blades on riding lawn mowers can spark fires when hitting rocks. Aside from lawn mowers, other equipment use that can spark a wildfire include weed-eaters, chainsaws, grinders, welders, tractors and trimmers. Defensible space work is critical to help create a perimeter around your home to protect it from a wildfire, but only when done under the right weather conditions," Cal Fire said in a statement released Sunday.

Given the combination of extreme heat, elevated fire conditions and an abundant, cured grass and shrub crop across most of California, Cal Fire will have maximum enforcement on human-caused wildfires, the agency said.

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