RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A goose striking power lines sparked a wildland fire that burned 24.2 acres of grassland southeast of Rancho Murieta on July 11, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

Public Information Officer Wendy Oaks said the fire was reported around 5:45 p.m. on private property on the south side of the Cosumnes River. CAL FIRE responded with six fire engines, two bulldozers, three hand crews and two air tankers that dropped retardant.

Oaks said she didn't have the exact resource count for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, which made the initial attack, but believed it included a helicopter and a bulldozer.

CAL FIRE maintained resources on the scene overnight and into the following day for mop-up operations.

“The fire is still in patrol status – checking it at least once a day,” Oaks said on July 14.

In an early report to the news media, Sac Metro Capt. Wilbourn Parker said the fire was burning in light, flashy fuels across three to five acres and was threatening two barns. He reported at 6:37 p.m. that firefighters had stopped the forward progress and identified the fire’s location as the Schneider Ranch.

Earlier the same day, Sac Metro Fire also responded to a separate barn fire on Meta Court in Sloughhouse. That fire was reported just before 2:38 a.m. by a Rancho Murieta resident driving home on Jackson Highway. (See “Fire Destroys Sloughhouse Barn.")