Stolen Vehicles Catch Fire at Homeless Encampment in Antioch

On Thursday, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a report of smoke coming from a homeless encampment fire at Apollo Ct in the City of Antioch.

The fire broke out at 9:00 am and while responding, it was reported that possibly a propane tank had exploded and caused a fire. However, upon arrival, firefighters located multiple vehicles on fire under the overpass at Wilbur Avenue and Apollo Ct. In total, four vehicles had caught fire. All were confirmed stolen.

The fire was under the overpass which sent smoke above the roadway and was next to a half dozen homeless encampments, motor homes and vehicles.

Firefighters were able to limit the fire to the vehicles and the Antioch Police Department confirmed that four vehicles had been stolen. A fifth vehicle was not confirmed stolen, but police believe it had been.

According to the latest Contra Costa County Point in Time count, although the City of Antioch is touting an 82% success rate without any data, the point in time count shows the  City of Antioch Antioch had the largest increase in homeless population in the county (79). The number of homeless has increased from 334 in 2023 to 413 in 2024.

No other information on the fire was available. The cause is under investigation and no injuries were reported.

Related Stories:

• June 3 – 2024 Point in Time: Contra Costa County Sees Increase in Homelessness
• May 10 –  San Pablo Approves New Homeless Outreach Services Partnership
• April 9 – Updated: Homeless Encampment Removed Along Highway 4 in Antioch
• April 9 – State Bipartisan Audit of Homelessness Spending Released
• April 3 – Video: Drone Footage Along Highway 4 in Antioch Shows Homeless Encampments
• March 22 – Over 100 Evicted from Antioch Homeless Encampment
• Feb 4 – Antioch Touts 82% Success Rate With Homeless Program – it should be noted, the city of Antioch has never provided any data on this 82%, any documentation, or metrics on how they came up with this success rate.