CALDWELL -- Firefighters continue to mop up several grass fires that broke out along Cleveland Boulevard in Caldwell this afternoon.
Fire officials say the fires are suspicious in nature. A witness said they saw someone, possibly on a bicycle, that may have started the fires. The man is said to have been wearing a red shirt and khaki pants.
The first fire was reported around 3 p.m. near 45th Avenue and Cleveland Boulevard. The last fire start was near the Sonic restaurant about a mile west.
"I was driving down the boulevard and I saw a fire on the side of the road and all of a sudden it exploded. Then about 10 feet further there was another fire and it exploded, and about another five feet the flames shot up again and exploded, and pretty soon they were going all the way down the boulevard," said Elaine Moothart.
A section of Cleveland Boulevard between Ustick Road and Linden was closed for about an hour while firefighters work to extinguish the fires. The roadway is open to traffic again.
Firefighters say they have contained the flames and were doing mop up work. But the combination of dry grass and gusty winds made for some nervous moments when trying to combat fires on a busy street. The flames burned near a farm and some buildings. No structures were lost.
The Caldwell Fire Department received assistance from fire departments in Eagle, Wilder, Parma, Middleton and Nampa.
Authorities are hoping anyone who saw suspicious activity on Cleveland Boulevard this afternoon will give them a call. Investigators are following up on several leads from the public. They are also checking security cameras from businesses along Cleveland Boulevard in their search for a suspect.
