Major Pittsburg grass fire caused by fireworks -

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.