Paso Robles Fire crews respond to four suspicious riverbed fires on Saturday

PASO ROBLES, Calif. – Paso Robles Fire crews responded to four separate fires within the city's riverbed on Saturday that were all suspicious in nature, according to Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services.

The first fire was reported just before 9 a.m. near the wastewater treatment plant off Sulfer Springs Road, according to Battalion Chief Scott Hallett.

Upon arrival of the first crews, firefighters discovered a second fire north of that location adjacent to Highway 101, Hallett said.

Then, a third fire was discovered by crews around 9:40 a.m. south of the wastewater plant.

All three fires were fully controlled at roughly half an acre by 12:38 p.m., Hallett said, adding that the recent hazardous fuel mitigation completed by livestock grazing helped keep the fires smaller in size.

The fourth fire was reported around 1:40 p.m. in the riverbed along North River, just south of Highway 46 East.

Arriving crews found a fire confined to a homeless encampment with no spread to nearby vegetation and were able to quickly extinguish it, Hallett said.

All four fires were deemed suspicious in nature and remained under investigation.