Contra Costa Fire Announces Marsh IC Flooding Complete

On Saturday, Contra Costa County Hearth Safety District introduced that flooding on the Marsh IC incident within the Metropolis of Pittsburg and Bay Level has ended.

The flooding occurred for 7-days with assist of the Contra Costa Water District and the property proprietor the place they put some 200 million gallons of water on the peat hearth– flooding occurred at 20,000 gallons per minute. As of in the present day, no obvious sizzling spots or smoke stays.

The District will proceed to observe for flareups.

The hearth started again on Could 28 because of a homeless encampment close to Suisun and Solano Avenues in Bay Level. It then flared up on July 9 and on July 11.

It additionally induced a number of days of poor air high quality together with the Contra Costa Well being Companies to subject an air high quality alert. On Saturday. Contra Costa Well being has lifted its July 14 well being advisory relating to poor air high quality in Pittsburg and surrounding communities of Metropolis of Antioch, Metropolis of Brentwood and Metropolis of Oakley.

JULY 12 UPDATE

Cussed Peat Hearth In Largely Inaccessible Areas of Bay Level and Pittsburg Producing Important Smoke; Hearth Contained, No Risk to Buildings

CONCORD, CALIF. – Contra Costa County Hearth Safety District (Con Hearth) in the present day introduced particulars relating to a peat hearth that has been burning since Could 28 within the waterfront areas of Bay Level and Pittsburg.

• The unique hearth started the early afternoon of Could 28 in a homeless encampment close to Suisun and Solano Avenues in Bay Level that burned to roughly 200 acres. The homeless encampment was fully consumed by the fireplace. No accidents had been reported
• The Could 28 hearth occurred in a largely inaccessible space with no buildings or inhabitants and created a lingering and cussed hearth that has burned within the marsh since that date. The hearth burned into giant quantities of peat within the space all through the following six weeks, consuming extra vegetation and intermittently producing noticeable smoke, relying on climate circumstances, however nonetheless threatening no buildings or lives
• On Saturday, July 9, pushed by wind, the peat hearth flared up extending into adjoining grassy areas of Pittsburg, threatening overhead high-voltage PG&E transmission strains and close by decommissioned industrial websites.
• Despite excessive winds on the scene, an amazing response from Con Hearth, aided by Cal Hearth, resulted within the hearth being contained earlier than it might lengthen into neighboring houses.
• Con Hearth requested mutual help from Cal Hearth for water-dropping helicopters. Because of the menace to PG&E infrastructure, this request was granted
• Earlier than it was contained, the fireplace consumed a further 74 acres, bringing the overall space consumed by the fires to roughly 500 acres. As of July 11, the Marsh Hearth is contained and continues to smolder in inaccessible areas of the Bay Level and Pittsburg waterfront
• Peat fires are notoriously cussed, could be nearly unattainable to extinguish, and are sometimes left, for lack of options, to burn themselves out.
• At the moment, the remaining peat hearth is producing vital smoke however presenting little hearth hazard to the encompassing space. It’s NOT threatening buildings; no evacuations are anticipated, in consequence. The Hearth has consumed a lot of the gas adjoining to the group, rising the margin of security that will in any other case current a fireplace danger
• The property proprietor has been cooperative, hiring contractors to mow and disk tons of of acres to get rid of hazardous fuels
• PG&E additionally offered sources to help the operation within the type of infrastructure safety groups and a big water-dropping helicopter
• We share resident considerations relating to the smoke and are aggressively pursuing extra treatments for the scenario with metropolis and county officers, different jurisdictions, the property proprietor, and a number of regulatory companies, in an try and mitigate the scenario as quickly as doable
• Con Hearth continues to observe the fireplace scene and is ready to right away handle any flare ups which will happen.
• We’ve coordinated with Contra Costa Well being Companies to observe air high quality within the hearth space and, in consequence, CCHS issued a well being advisory late on July 11.
• For data on defending your self and your loved ones from smoke, please go to cchealth.org/wildfire-smoke/

About Contra Costa County Hearth Safety District (Con Hearth) – With annexation of the previous East Contra Costa Hearth Safety District (ECCFPD) in July, 2022, Con Hearth now offers hearth and emergency medical providers to greater than 750,000 residents in 22 cities and unincorporated areas throughout our expanded 553 square-mile jurisdiction. Annexation resulted in absorption of the sources and folks of the previous ECCFPD, including 294 sq. miles of service space. The District now includes 30 hearth stations and almost 500 staff. Via our distinctive ambulance Alliance, the District delivers EMS and ambulance transport providers to a lot of Contra Costa County. In 2021, the District responded to some 83,000 incidents of all kinds, together with almost 43,000 hearth and EMS emergencies, and dispatched 100,000 ambulances, conducting greater than 75,000 ambulance transports. Con Hearth stays devoted to preserving life, property, and the surroundings.

No Drones

In the course of the incident, Contra Costa County Hearth reminded the general public that drones usually are not allowed to be flown throughout an lively incident over the fireplace.

Con Hearth had requested all drones to be grounded instantly, inside a 5 mile radius, of the Marsh Incident close to 700 block of Willow Go Street. Helicopters shall be flying to help with firefighting operations.