Children playing with illegal fireworks are suspected of sparking a fire at Goethe Park in Rancho Cordova Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The fire burned about 8 acres of dry grass, brush and trees along the American River Parkway.
Sacramento Metro Fire crews, with the help of a bulldozer and a helicopter, managed to surround the fire in about 45 minutes.
Fire officials said juveniles were seen lighting illegal fireworks in the dry grass.
"We got a good description of them. Our arson folks and the sheriff's department are looking for them. They were seen taking off on their bicycles across the bridge over into the Arden Park area," Sacramento Metro Fire spokesman Pat Ellis said.
The location of the blaze proved to be a challenge for fire crews.
"The fire was off the roadway, obviously, and it was on the parkway. So, we had access problems to get to the fire, we had people on their bikes recreating, folks getting out of the river after a day of rafting, a lot of smoke, a lot of fire and equipment. We're just very lucky that nobody got hurt," Ellis said.
Fire crews were expected to remain at the scene through the night on the lookout for hot spots.
Copyright 2006 by KCRA.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
