Business 80 traffic released after grass fire near Sacramento’s Cal Expo

SACRAMENTO – Business 80 was shut down as firefighters were battling a grass fire near Cal Expo on Sunday afternoon in Sacramento. 

The Sacramento Fire Department said the fire had burned about three acres and burned right up to the freeway.

The fire department’s public information officer, Justin Sylvia, said very dense vegetation made it difficult for crews to get hoses and engines to the fire. 

Sylvia said the black smoke that people may have seen was not just from the grass and vegetation burning, but also from homeless camps that burned. 

Investigators have responded as there are people of interest within the homeless encampment, Sylvia said. The investigators will also speak with witnesses as they work to determine if the fire was accidentally or intentionally started. 

Helicopters could be seen making water drops on the water. Sylvia said the helicopter helped due to how hard it was to access the fire and the fact there were no fire hydrants in the area. 

Traffic on Business 80 came to a standstill around 4:45 p.m. at Exposition Boulevard for southbound traffic and near the bridge over the American River for northbound travelers. About 30 minutes later, traffic began flowing in both directions.

No injuries have been reported.