Abnormally hot, windy weather spurred a quick-spreading grass fire near Twelve Bridges in Lincoln on Thursday afternoon.

The blaze began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on the south side of Industrial Avenue and blackened 50 acres between Industrial and Highway 65 before it was contained at about 4 p.m., said Mike Deme, a captain with the Placer County Fire Department on Athens Avenue.

“The fire engines were not even a mile away, but 15 acres were already gone by the time we got here,” Deme said. “It was just totally wind-driven.”

Fire personnel closed the freeway for more than 30 minutes due to dense smoke, detouring traffic onto Industrial Avenue.

Flames stopped just short of Ace Hardware’s Northern California distribution center on Industrial, thanks to a newly-installed fire break.

“We just had that break put in at the beginning of the year, and I’m really glad we did,” said Jim Worley, retail support manager for the center.

Worley said the same patch of land burned several years ago.

“The guys did a really good job putting this one out fast,” he said.

Firefighters from the Cal-Fire/Placer County, Lincoln, Rocklin, and Roseville departments responded. Deme estimated that 10 engines and two water tenders were called to the scene.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, he said.