ConFire battles grass fires in Pittsburg, Martinez
Firefighters were battling two grass fires mid-afternoon Thursday in Pittsburg and Martinez.
The Pittsburg fire call came in at 2:16 p.m. in a field behind Maya Cinemas in Pittsburg’s Century Plaza, near where there another blaze started at the beginning of the fire season, Contra Costa Fire Protection PIO Steve Hill said.
“It was about the size of a basketball court and we hit it hard and fast,” Hill said of the near the theater.
By 2:39 p.m. it was stopped at 1½-acres, he said.
In Martinez, meanwhile, ConFire is battling a two-acre fire on flat grass moving into brush on a scene that is still developing, according to Hill.
The second-alarm fire is in the 1100 block of Christie Road and fire officials are requesting people avoid the area to give emergency vehicles better access.
Contra Costa Sheriff’s helicopter STARR3 was also responding.
“What’s going on today is we have ultra-low humidity,” he said. “That makes these fuels uber ready to burn and the winds haven’t died down yet either. That’s what’s causing concerns.”
The fires came amid a PG&E planned power shutoff for much of Northern California, with many communities in the Bay Area losing service through Thursday morning.