A truck driver on his way to Ignacio saw a fire burning off the side of State Highway 172 on Thursday.
Using a fire extinguisher and a shovel from his truck, he and a few other drivers who stopped were able to slow down the blaze until a crew arrived from Los Pinos Fire Protection District.
"The fire danger is still high," said the driver, Jeremy Cochran of the Lucky 7 Ranch, who stopped to help fight the fire.
The fire burned about half to three-quarters of an acre, estimated Chief Tom Aurnhammer of Los Pinos.
A hot part came off of a nearby malfunctioning car, starting the fire, he said.
Grass in the area is still extremely dry, although the relative humidity is higher now, which kept the fire from spreading faster.
"We still need to be really, really careful," Aurnhammer said.
County fire chiefs recommended taking the county's Stage 3 fire restrictions down to Stage 1 this week, and the commission decided to move to Stage 2, based in large part on public input.
"That was a good move," Aurnhammer said. If more rain arrives this week, which is in the forecast, a reduction to Stage 1 restrictions could be a possibility next week, he added.
The fire was on Mile Marker 16 near Oxford.
"We didn't want another big fire on our hands," Cochran said of his decision to stop and try to fight the fire.
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