A field of dead vegetation coupled with low humidity and wind gusts up to 35 mph fed a fast moving fire Sunday that threatened dozens of homes in Raymus Village just northeast of Manteca.

At one point, Lathrop Manteca Fire Department worked with the San Joaquin County sheriff’s office for potential evacuation of area residents.

Evacuation ultimately were not deemed necessary thanks to efforts of the Lathrop Manteca Fire District and nine other fine agencies that provided mutual aid.

The fire damaged 15 properties such as fences, sheds and outside structures along the neighbor’s southern boundary

The fire started at 4:20 p.m. along the Highway 99 Frontage Road where it curves just north of Lathrop Road east of Highway 99.

The area between the road and the subdivision of several hundred homes is flat with relatively low weeds.

The dry, gusty winds with fairly low humidity quickly spread the fire and created the potential for embers to land in areas a distance from where the vegetation was burning.

It is what area fire agencies repeatedly warn residents about every year in their effort to get people to knock down weeds and remove dead shrubs and dead trees as well as other potential fuel for fires such as junk stacked in backyards or along fences.

Yet, you can still drive through Manteca neighborhoods and see residential property with dead vegetation, some of it several feet high.

 “The aggressive actions of our firefighters surely preserved life and property this afternoon. We are grateful for the mutual aid system and quick response of our neighboring agencies,” noted Lathrop Manteca Fire Chief Dave Bramell.

The Lathrop-Manteca Fire District received mutual aid from the City of Manteca Fire Department, Stockton Fire, Tracy Fire, French Camp-McKinley Fire District, Ripon Fire, Montezuma Fire District, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Fire, Collegeville Fire District, and Waterloo-Morada Fire District.

 Vegetation fires that destroy homes are a concern in San Joaquin County.

*In 2020, a grass fire destroyed four homes and heavily damaged four others in east Stockton.

*There were four homes in a mobile home park at the western end of Woodward Avenue that were lost during a vegetation fire.

 *Seventeen years ago, a grass fire that started along Interstate 5 roared into a Stockton neighborhood not unlike what you will find in post 1980 developments in Manteca and destroyed 36 homes north of March Lane. All it took was perhaps 100 square feet of thick weeds to be aflame and the 15 mph winds — not uncommon in the summer in this area — to carry embers to turn the rough equivalent of three blocks of tract homes into toast.

*A fire earlier this month that destroyed two homes just southwest of downtown Manteca was aided by dry vegetation and wind gusts up to 37 mph.

The existence of excessive dry vegetation is a growing concern with each passing year, especially as the fireworks season nears.

Illegal and legal fireworks have been blamed in recent years in Manteca for a number of dry grass and fence fires as well as homes that have been partially damaged.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com