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Melted catalytic converter pieces start 7 small fires in Tuolumne County, Cal Fire says

Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit says they were able to contain seven small fires within a half-hour of the report on Thursday.

TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif. — A broken catalytic convertor was the cause of several small grass fires in Tuolumne County on Thursday.

According to Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, crews were dispatched to reports of several grass fires along Tuolumne Road near Morris Avenue at around 4:48 p.m. on Thursday.

Firefighters say they were able to contain seven small fires within a half-hour of the report. Further investigation led firefighters to determine that all of the fires were caused by "melted and ejected catalytic converter pieces."

"Proper and regular vehicle maintenance could have identified this issue for repair prior to these fires," Cal Fire wrote in a statement.

According to Cal Fire, the vehicle that started the fire still is a hazard to the community. Cal Fire asks anyone who may have seen a vehicle experiencing mechanical troubles to call them at (209) 754-3831.

Vehicle maintenance…. protect your investment while preventing a wildfire! Let us revisit this today. Yesterday, June...

Posted by CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit on Friday, June 10, 2022

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