Wildfire started by golfer hitting rock with club

[BonoVox]

http://www.ocregister.com/news/fire-...yon.html?pic=1 Wow this has to be a first?????

IRVINE – After over seven hours of fighting the fire, a blaze probably sparked when a golfer chipped a rock with his club near Shady Canyon in Irvine was completely contained by 7:30 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority Captain Greg McKeown said. Almost 200 firefighters battled the 12-acre blaze near the Shady Canyon Golf Course on Saturday, officials said. •Fires in Shady Canyon contained The fire was reported at 12:07 p.m. as a hillside fire near the golf course. It burned through dense, heavy brush. McKeown said two crews would remain throughout the night to prevent spot fires from flaring up. Another hand crew will return Sunday to mop up, he said. At no point were the nearby multimillion-dollar homes in the gated Shady Canyon Golf Course at risk, McKeown said. McKeown said the fire likely was sparked when a golfer – who knocked his golf ball into the grass that borders the fairway – struck a rock with his club trying to get the ball out of the rough. Two other fires near Antonio Parkway and Ortega Highway that broke out at 12:30 p.m. were also extinguished.

[kafka01]

http://scgc.wordpress.com/2010/08/28...e-due-to-fire/ - some more pics

Golf club hits rock - really? If i see how many people carelessly throw away their cigarett butts in the driest conditions, i wonder why this doesnt happen more often...

[senorchipotle]

now that's not something you see every day.

[Fijian golfer]

The way I hit my clubs now, I sure create sparks, lol!! This is funny

[BonoVox]

http://scgc.wordpress.com/2010/08/28...e-due-to-fire/

Cool link thanks! I actually saw the smoke from the fire on Saturday from a few miles away. Good thing we did not have the Santa Ana wind conditions or it could have been a disaster out there! LAst time a fire broke out in that general area during wind season it burned all the way to Laguna Beach taking out hundreds of homes.

[yenner]

The way I hit my clubs now, I sure create sparks, lol!! This is funny

Funny?

[Zeph]

Was the grass soaked in gasoline? Perhaps the golfer didn't realize a spark ignited the grass. Otherwise, wouldn't he or she be able to put it out before it spread too bad?

[sacm3bill]

I call BS. Throwing a cigar/cigarette into the brush is probably what really happened.

[iacas]

Didn't this happen years ago too? I clicked the link and half expected to come back here and say "why are you linking to a story from 2006?"

[BonoVox]

Yeah I am suspicious of the real cause too.

But if a golfer dropped a cigarette or cigar in the brush the fire department should find it. UNLESS the golfer ran up and grabbed it before they got there.

It does not make sense that you would not see the fire start up right after you made a stroke.

I have seen a course that had signs up in the Summer that you should not to swing at a ball that was not on a grass area. (IE in a waste/natural area)

Most outdoor gun ranges in Southern California ban metal core ammunition in the Summer. They have had several fires started at gun ranges.

[sacm3bill]

But if a golfer dropped a cigarette or cigar in the brush the fire department should find it..

Sure, as long as it was one of those fireproof cigarettes. Wait a minute... HUH?

[B-Con]

a blaze probably sparked when a golfer chipped a rock with his club near Shady Canyon in Irvine

[edit]

The perfect excuse to start taking relief from bad lies in dead grass. Its a hard thing to do, but we must all do it for the betterment of mankind.

[RC]

In a prior generation of metal woods, there was one that made sparks almost everytime you hit it unless the ball was perfectly clean or new. I don't remember the brand, but I sure remember seeing a lot of guys who used it and the sparks were easy to see. I don't think there was ever a fire because of it but the thought was discussed a lot at the time.

[Jay-Bird]

I nearly caused a fire once by hitting my driver so hard that the ball ignited, but fortunately the ball carried far enough to burn out in flight.

I have it on video.

[jamo]

I nearly caused a fire once by hitting my driver so hard that the ball ignited, but fortunately the ball carried far enough to burn out in flight.

Well then it must be true.

[bwdial]

I nearly caused a fire once by hitting my driver so hard that the ball ignited, but fortunately the ball carried far enough to burn out in flight.

NITRO ball?

[lcfd42]

I play a lot of night time par3 tournaments, and it is quite suprising how often clubs throw sparks, even from what we think of as a clean lie. Interesting light show at night. The sparks are even more obvious when the humidity is low. A fire from this, possible; but the circumstances and conditions would have to be entirely condusive to promote ignition. The heat energy carried by the tiny sparks is so minute, it would take like I said a perfect senario. Though nothing is out of the question.

[Mattplusness]

my old driver caused a spark... interesting