The Riverside County Board of Supervisors today directed county agencies to assist La Cresta property owners impacted by a 350- acre wildfire ignited earlier this month by a county-operated vehicle.
The "Volcano fire" and came perilously close to several others when it blackened hillsides just west of Murrieta
A county Department of Transportation mower apparently threw sparks and ignited vegetation while cutting weeds near the intersection of Tenaja and Via Volcano roads, according to the fire department.
The blaze was fully contained by the following morning.
During the board's first meeting after a four-week recess, Supervisor Bob Buster submitted a motion seeking to have the "Transportation and Building and Safety departments and Human Resources Risk Management Division ... work with the property owners to resolve fire damage issues."
Without comment, the board voted 4-0 -- with Supervisor Jeff Stone absent -- in support of the motion.
According to Buster, residents with homes in the fire zone could be entitled to reimbursement for lost work and other claims.
"The fire destroyed vegetation, which may require re-vegetation to protect the slopes from erosion during winter rains," he said.
On the day of the fire, the county issued a statement calling the blaze a "tragedy."
