Willow Pass townhomes construction site in Concord bursts into flames

A two-alarm fire engulfed a townhome complex under construction late Thursday night on Willow Pass Road in Concord.

At 11:46 p.m. on July 2, Contra Costa County Fire units responsed to a fire at the Willow Terrace Townhomes construction site at Willow Pass Road and Esperanza Drive.

The blaze destroyed one of the six units. A neighboring unit faced extensive fire damage, whereas smoke and fire affected other units.

“Quick water, use of the aerial master stream and a well-coordinated fire attack from all sides of the structure kept the fire to the three-floor unit of origin, without significant damage to the neighboring units,” Con Fire reported in an Instragram post.

Two vehicles burnt in the driveway of a neighboring structure, but there was no damage to other buildings. No firefighters were injured in the blaze, according to Con Fire Public Information Officer Steve Hill.

About 40 people responded, with nine fire trucks and engines. They put out the fire shortly after midnight.

Investigation in progress

Officials are investigating the fire’s cause and don’t know at this time if fireworks or arson were involved.

“We want to determine if (the fires are) suspicious in nature, and if they are, take whatever action is appropriate. … Nothing is ruled out this early in the investigation,” said Hill, who noted that 14 people have been arrested for arson so far this year in Con Fire’s service area.

Two years ago, the Galindo fire burned down a huge apartment complex under construction downtown. The fire displaced 250 people in the neighboring complex, and officials later determined it was arson.

The Galindo and Willow Terrace sites were at similar phases of construction at the time of the fires. There is currently no known connection between the two.

Most of the material found at the scene was drywall being readied for application. It is not clear if there were any hazardous materials on the construction site.