Rock Fire Near Patterson Fully Contained; Scorches 2,422 Acres

STANISLAUS COUNTY (CBS13) - The Rock Fire burning near Patterson in Stanislaus County has now scorched more than 2,422 acres and is 100 percent contained.

Its rapid growth caused concern earlier this week about the fate of several Native American archeological sites in the area.

The fire had exploded in size from just 30 acres to more than 2,200 in less than a day.

"It looked like a movie to me. Like it was real bad," said resident Jordan Mouton.

The wind-driven fire burned in steep terrain just three miles west of town on the opposite side of the canyon from the Diablo Grande subdivision. Cal Fire said the blaze did not threaten any homes.

Cal Fire spokesperson Jim Crawford told CBS13 on Wednesday that the fire was burning near several Native American archeological sites belonging to the Yokuts; prompting firefighters to take special precautions not to disturb the soil in these areas.

"Many of the firefighters are local to the area and know where these sites are," he said.

Hand crews and dozers were careful not to disturb the soil when carving out fire lines in an effort to increase containment.

"As a natural resources agency, the firefighters are trained in what to look for and they're very sensitive to the sites," he said.

It's unknown if the fire disturbed any of the sites.

Click here to read more about the fire on Cal Fire's incident page.