A brush fire broke out just north of the Commerce McDonald’s and the Corners at Commerce apartment complex earlier this afternoon. The Commerce Fire Department and Commerce Police Department were dispatched to the scene, as was the Campbell Fire Department for assistance.
CFD Fire Chief Brian McNevin said the fire began between 2:30 and 3 o’clock on Monday afternoon by the railroad tracks that run just north of Corners at Commerce. The wind caused the fire to spread further north, away from the residential area.
McNevin said firemen could not get themselves or their vehicles out to the flames as fast as they wanted due to the recent wet weather.
“We had trouble getting to it,” he said. “Because of the snow, everything was wet. Luckily, the wind was in our favor and blew it [north] instead of back toward the apartments.”
The fire was quickly contained by the firemen on scene.
“It took us about 30 minutes to contain it,” McNevin said. “There was never any danger.”
The cause of the fire is not known yet, and McNevin said it may never be known due to the location of the fire’s origin.
“It could have had something to do with a train coming by, it could have been kids playing with matches,” he said. “We have no idea. Stuff like this is hard to determine.”