We’re learning a two-alarm fire that destroyed an apartment building in Antioch on Sunday night was started by fireworks.
Fire officials are concerned about the rising use of illegal fireworks during California’s ongoing drought.
After investigating the fire at Hargrove St. and E. 18th St. in Antioch, Contra Costa County fire officials determined it was started by an M-80, an illegal firecracker – lit in dry grasses.
"It started a fire in the grass which spread fairly widely, got into the fence line for the apartment complex (and) burned into the apartment complex itself," said Contra Costa County Fire Spokesperson Steve Hill.
Crews had the fire under control in about an hour.
The building was destroyed. Forty residents were displaced.
Hill said 44-year-old James Sossaman, a resident of the apartment complex himself, has been arrested on arson charges.
Because of the drought, this is not the year to be playing with fireworks.
"The simplest of fireworks, perhaps something people might think of as relatively safe, a sparkler or something they may hand to a child, could start a fire within moments (and) would be uncontrollable by a homeowner with a garden hose," he said.
Hill explained that it's hard to overestimate the danger from the drought conditions which are as dry now as they might be in August.
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