A little after 6 pm yesterday, A large fire at the Evans Towing junkyard at 6815 West 6th Street in Rio Linda sent billows of thick black smoke into the air, visible from as far away as Woodland and Folsom and even visible on News10 weather radar.
Metro Fire units, supported by over 20 engines, a helicopter, and a bulldozer from CalFire, Sac Fire, Placer County, and Cosumnes fire, had the fire extinguished before 7:30 pm. Crews continued to work throughout the evening to kill hotspots.
There were reports on the radio of ammunition cooking off in the fire, as well as propane tanks that needed to be drenched with water before they exploded. There were also reports of bystanders entering the yard and taking things out.
Bystander traffic was a problem. CHP eventually closed West 6th north of Elkhorn to prevent bystanders from being injured by moving responders in the thick smoke.
It’s understood that the blaze began as a grass fire on the west side of the property. There was no indication of what caused the initial ignition.
The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services was on scene, evaluating any hazardous materials that may have been involved.
According to the Metro Fire Public Information Officer, no structures were burned and there were no injuries.
Rio Linda Messenger reporter/photographer Sara Williams was on the scene.
