Davis firefighters responding to a vehicle fire Sunday afternoon encountered an additional challenge when the blaze spread to a surrounding rice field.
The fire was reported at about 1:15 p.m. in the rural area southeast of Davis known as “No Man’s Land.” Crews from the downtown and South Davis fire stations arrived to find the ground muddy and difficult to access in their emergency rigs, and they had to lay about 1,000 feet of hose in order to get water to the scene, officials said.
By then, the fire had spread to the rice field, burning about 4 acres before it was brought under control. Officials say the initial fire to the sport-utility vehicle appeared accidental and not suspicious in nature.