Paso Robles, CA -- A half-acre fire east of Paso Robles that burned vegetation but no structures yesterday afternoon has been contained. The fire was reported just before 1 o’clock at a ranch on Estrella Road north of Highway 46 East and extinguished within a matter of minutes. Cal Fire officials aren’t sure of the cause of the fire that burned grass at the ranch. Nobody was injured as a result of the blaze.

But the fire serves as a reminder of the importance of clearing and maintaining a defensible perimeter around your house. Something that 93 Atascadero home owner failed to do. Atascadero will collect about $165,000 from owners of the 93 properties that didn’t remove weeds and other combustible debris from their properties this summer.

The city has a June 1 abatement deadline, and will hire a contractor to clear any property that fails to meet that deadline. The charges include the cost of the contractor as well as a 150 percent administrative fee for city staff time to write notification letters, create mailers, make site visits and complete related work to run the program. The annual program is designed to lessen fire fuels on properties so there’s less chance of a large fire building before crews arrive.