CONCORD, CALIF., – Contra Costa County Fire Protection District made available details of the fire and EMS activity, much of it fireworks related, occurring across the district on the Independence Day holiday evening.
For the six-hour period from 8 p.m., July 4, to 2 a.m., July 5, the district dispatched crews to 69 fire incidents. This represents a more than 400 percent increase over other recent Tuesdays, which in June, averaged 20 fire dispatches for the entire day. Year-over-year, fire incidents were up nearly 60 percent.
The holiday evening’s 69 fire incidents point up the dangers of fireworks use in current heightened fire danger conditions. Eleven of these fires are known to have been caused, and another 51 suspected of having been caused, by fireworks.
While the cool weather was favorable and the midweek timing had the holiday falling on a work night, fires numbered some 60 percent more than 4th of July 2023’s 44 fire incidents for the same evening period.
In spite of more than 60 grass, vegetation and other exterior fires burning across the district on the evening of the Fourth, only four structure fires ensued. Of these, in three cases, fireworks could not be ruled out as the cause. In the worst structure fire of the evening, in the 2 a.m. hour in Antioch, a garage was destroyed and two adjacent homes substantially damaged as a result of fireworks. In all, four residents were displaced, and a dog died, as a result of this unnecessary fire.
Calls for emergency medical services were also up over normal, non-holiday periods with some of this increase likely attributable to fireworks activity. On the Fourth, 240 EMS incidents were dispatched with 64 of these occurring between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. the next day. Total EMS responses represent about a 20% increase over more typical weekdays. On average, Con Fire responds to just over 200 EMS incidents daily.
In one particularly egregious case, a 66-year-old male in Martinez was gravely injured in the 10 p.m. hour when he lost part of a hand while holding an exploding firework. Considerable preparation across the district, including upstaffing of additional dispatchers; two hand crews and equipment; two fire dozers; and the district operations center, staffed by multiple chief officers; resulted in rapid and overwhelming responses, which served to limit fire spread, and resultant damage when fires did occur.
All 60-plus grass and exterior fires were kept small, limiting potential for structure damage as a result of rapid and overwhelming responses as well as early notifications to 911 by residents
Fires by City:
- 22 – City of Antioch
- 8 – Bay Point
- 10 – City of Concord
- 9 – City of Pittsburg
- 8 – Out of District
- 3 – City of San Pablo
- 2 – City of Oakley
- 2 – City of Pleasant Hill
- 1 – City of Martinez
- 1 – City of Walnut Creek
- 1 – El Sobrante
Photo by CON Fire
Our Rundown For Central and East Contra Costa County:
- 8:00 pm – Oakley: confined dumpster fire at Freedom High School
- 8:11 pm – Pittsburg: 2200 Old Creek Cr for vegetation fire on a trail started by fireworks
- 8:20 pm – Concord: 1300 Hampshire Ct… outside fire/palm tree
- 8:50 pm – Pleasant Hill: 100 block Soule… fire pit fire that spread to deck
- 8:54 pm – Concord: 1500 block Willow Pass, dumpster fire
- 8:56 pm – Concord: 2200 Labador St – field on fire
- 9:10 pm – Bay Point: 60 Pomo Ct – outside fire
- 9:21 pm – Antioch: 4900 Ridgeview Dr – outside fire
- 9:24 pm – Walnut Creek: Whitecliff – tree on fire which led to a 3-acre fire.
- 9:32 pm – Antioch: 3900 Finch Drive – backyard on fire
- 9:34 pm – Antioch: Somersville Road – shopping cart on fire
- 9:40 pm – Antioch: Lone Tree Way/Prewett – grass on fire (size of a bus)
- 9:44 pm – Antioch: Vineywood Way, outside fire
- 9:45 pm – Pittsburg – 1400 springhill Dr – outside fire
- 9:47 pm – Bay Point: Springhill Dr – Outside fire
- 9:50 pm – SR160 at SR4: vegetation fire – kids lit fireworks now ridge on fire.
- 9:51 pm – Pittsburg – 53 Alturas Ave, outside fire
- 9:55 pm – Bay Point: Wharf & Port Chicago… vegetation fire
- 9:55 pm – Antioch: 2600 Hampton.. vegetation fire behind a church
- 9:56 pm – Concord: 1500 Concord Ave, outside fire
- 10:00 pm – Antioch: 1825 Trembath Way, three small fires
- 10:04 pm – Antioch: Holub Lane & E 18th – vegetation fire (2-acres)
- 10:10 pm – Bay Point: 200 block Shore, residential structure fire/backyard fire
- 10:11 pm – Antioch – Sunset & Lone Tree Way – exterior fire, bucket on fire
- 10:17 pm – Concord: 1200 Diamond Way, fully involved RV + trees
- 10:19 pm – Bay Point: 700 Dobrich Cir… vehicle fire
- 10:19 pm – Brentwood: Adams Middle School, vegetation fire size of parking lot.. approx 1-acre
- 10:19 pm – Concord: Michigan Blvd – outside fire
- 10:29 pm – Pittsburg: N Parkside… fire up against a fence.
- 10:32 pm – Antioch: 800 W 2nd St fireworks caught exterior on fire.
- 10:34 pm – Pittsburg: Power Ave, outside fire
- 10:39 pm – Antioch: Somersville Rd/Buchanan fire the size of a dumpster
- 10:39 pm – Pleasant Hill: 1500 Fieldcrest, residential structure fire
- 10:41 pm – Bay Point: Port Chicago vegetation fire
- 10:50 pm – Antioch: Lawton St… PD out with box of fireworks on fire
- 10:54 pm – Brentwood: Balfour & Sellers – roadside fire
- 10:58 pm – Martinez: medical call on Veale after a firework blew up in a persons hand
- 11:09 pm – Antioch: Wilbur Ave, small fire near the gate
- 11:24 pm – Antioch: W 7th & K… subject shot in the neck, another wounded — see story
- 11:25 pm – Bay Point: 1100 Baily Road, dumpster fire
- 11:28 pm – Antioch: vegetation fire in 3000 block of Bellflower… 1/8 acre fire
- 11:33 pm – Martinez: 3400 Sentinel Dr, outside fire
- 11:35 pm – Pittsburg: W 8th St & Herb White, outside fire
By 11:53 pm, CONFIRE announced it was ending its Fourth of July Task Force and returning to normal service.
July 5
-
- 12:15 am: Antioch, bush on fire at Verne Roberts and Costco Way
- 12:20 am: Antioch, small fire at Dallas Ranch and Mokelumne Dr
- 12:21 am: Antioch, vehicle crash w/rescue at SR4 and Somersville
- 1:32 am: Antioch, 2700 block Cabrillo Ct, vegetation fire
- 1:46 am: Antioch, 200 block Bluerock, outside fire
- 2:31 am: Antioch, Lone Tree & Golf Course, outside fire
- 2:47 am: Antioch, Sagebrush & Prewett, outside fire
- 2:52 am: Bay Point, 100 N Broadway, residential structure fire
- 2:52 am: Antioch, W 8th St & D St, 2-alarm residential structure fire, fully engulfed.
- 3:16 am: Antioch, 4900 Bridle Way, outside fire
Also.. CONFIRE responded to two shootings in the City of Antioch with the Antioch Police Department — see story
1 comment
The situation in Antioch is TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL! We could only watch in horror aa our neighbors below us on a hill spent literally HOURS firing illegal fireworks including many “flowers” that would blow up at our eye level.
Contra Costa needs to get tough with EXECUTION and not just advertisements. CCC’s ability to deal with any fireworks was, correctly, diverted to actual fires. It starts by passing laws that put SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SEVERE PENALTIES at the feet of illegal fireworks such as double-digit terms of incarceration and $$$’s fine commensurate with any damages — in other words, a NO NONSENSE, NO EXCUSE law concerning illegal fireworks. FULL STOP.
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