Major Pittsburg grass fire caused by fireworks

Major Pittsburg grass fire caused by fireworks
Steve Hill, CCCFPD public information officer and Concord and Pittsburg police stand spoke to the press from the swath of defensible space created behind the directly threatened homes on Jacqueline. Hill emphasized how fast the fire can move through dry grass.

CONCORD, CALIF., June 22, 2022 – Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) today announced that fireworks were the cause of the early morning June 17 grassfire that originated in the open space south of Jacqueline Drive, Pittsburg.

In a media only press conference at the fire scene, Con Fire officials stressed the dangers of fireworks and gave credit to the homeowners for weed abatement and creating a wide swath of defensible space.

The fire threatened some 100 homes and forced the mandatory evacuation of approximately 2,200 residents.

The blaze, first reported at 2 a.m., prompted a four-alarm response from both Con Fire and Cal Fire, with more than 100 firefighters and support personnel dispatched to the scene.

When the fire was declared knocked down at 6 a.m, the fire had burned 121 acres.

High winds and dry vegetation

Weather conditions at the time – principally high winds, gusting to 30 miles per hour – coupled with extremely dry and dangerous vegetation, quickly fed the fire, which burned to the northeast, northwest and south, threatening homes to the north.

Incident commanders implemented a mandatory evacuation order. Pittsburg Police and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office executed the order, which was Con Fire’s first significant use of the new Zonehaven digital evacuation tool, evacuating zone PTS-E008.

Many residents also self-evacuated ahead of the order as flames quickly spread.

Con Fire encourages all County residents to learn their home’s zone by visiting

www.cwsalerts.com and clicking on the “Know Your Zone” tab at the top of the page.

No firefighters or civilians were reported injured as a result of the blaze.

The fire remains under investigation at this time to identify the person or persons responsible for setting off the fireworks.

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