A vegetation fire along northbound Highway 99 near Jack Tone Road in Ripon caused significant traffic congestion for some commuters on Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred shortly before 4 o’clock, just south of the Austin Road exit, the Ripon Consolidated Fire District reported.

“Upon arrival, crews found approximately 100 feet of oleanders ablaze,” said local firefighters, adding that this area was also in the jurisdiction was the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District.

A crew of the Manteca Fire Department was already at the scene actively working to extinguish the fire.

Manteca and Ripon firefighters worked in collaboration in gaining control of the blaze while preventing any further spread.

“This was a priority due to the hazardous nature of oleander smoke, which is toxic and can cause skin irritation and systemic toxicity,” RCFD noted.

The fire was extinguished with crews having cleared the scene.

This was the second such incident in recent days for local firefighters, who responded to a vegetation fire Friday along the Stanislaus River near Caswell State Park.

Once again, they ask that the public remain vigilant during elevated fire danger conditions and to report any signs of wildfires immediately to authorities.