KCBA - Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz - News Weather-Man Suffers Severe Burns In Barn Fire
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PRUNEDALE, Calif.- A Prunedale man burned in a fire Wednesday is still in the hospital with third-degree burns and lung injuries.
Cal Fire said the man was inside his barn, located along Castroville Blvd. in Prunedale, when it caught fire. Cal Fire investigators said they are close to determining the cause of the fire,which does appear to be accidental. They said the fire originated inside the barn and was fueled by machinery. Strong winds quickly spread the fire, burning a total of 7 1/2 acres.
Firefighters had control of the blaze by 1:50 p.m. There were 18 engines and 50 firefighters on scene, as well as air tankers. Cal Fire said there's about $500,000 in damages. There's no estimated cost of fighting the fire.
Fire investigators explained how the locate the origin of a fire. Cal Fire Arson Investigator Cliff Williams said it's all about the burn indicators. Like a detective, Williams examines the evidence at the scene and then later in his office by looking at photos.
"This fire moves and it acts like water and as it hits an object in its path it goes out and around that object and it leaves certain marks and those marks tell us the depth of char," said Williams.
Those markings are like arrows, hopefully pointing investigators to the right spot and telling them where and how the fire ignited. The same technique is even used in investigating wildfires.
"We look at the way the grass stems fall, how the leaves burn and we read those markings and follow it to the area of origin," said Williams.
