The Chula Vista Fire Department assisted in extinguishing a mulch fire on Sunday at a nursery in Palm City.
Fire authorities received called from the fire at around 9:40 a.m. at Terra Bella Nursery off Hollister Street just east of Interstate 5 and south of Main Street. According to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Battalion Chief David Pilkerton, crews from San Diego, Chula Vista, and Imperial Beach worked to extinguish the mulch pile that was about 60 square feet and roughly 15 feet tall.
Officials did not report any structural damage.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
According to a study by the University of Nevada that details the fire hazards associated with different landscape mulch types and landscaping near homes, dry, hot, and windy weather made each of the eight evaluated mulch types combustible. Researchers concluded that shredded rubber, pine needles, and shredded western red cedar demonstrated the most hazardous fire behavior based on cumulative values for the three combustion characteristics.
Composted wood chips and Tahoe chips, a single layer yielded the least hazardous fire behavior, according to the study.
