SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A vegetation fire in the East Bay threatening a number of homes has been extinguished, and fire officials say no people have been injured nor have any structures been damaged.
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The Contra Costa Fire Protection District and CAL FIRE responded to a vegetation fire near Golf Club Road and Golf Club Court in Pittsburg on Tuesday at 5:55 p.m., putting out the blaze by 6:24 thanks to what Contra Costa Fire spokesperson Steve Hill characterized as a "rapid and overwhelming response" to it.
More than 75 people from two agencies responded to the fire, according to the Contra Costa Fire Protection District.
Hill told KCBS Radio's Patti Reising and Jeff Bell that the 19-acre fire came "dangerously close" to homes amid some "dicey moments."
"But we were able to get on scene and protect all those structures," he said. "More good news: There are no evacuation orders as of right now. As we always say, if you feel unsafe, if you feel threatened, don't wait for the evacuation order, leave. But that doesn't appear it's going to be necessary here in Pittsburg this evening."
Hill said the area of Tuesday's fire has burned "several times in the last few weeks," as the Bay Area has recently contended with record-setting temperatures amid a punishing statewide drought. These consequences of climate change are expected to only exacerbate the risk of wildfires in the coming years.
Tuesday's fire burned in an area that was largely indistinguishable from much of the fire protection district, Hill said, driving home the Bay Area's elevated fire risk as the summer approaches.
"There's a lot of dry grass that's ready to burn, and we showed that here this afternoon," Hill said. "The conditions are ultra-dangerous out there across the region, and it's a time for the highest of caution in all outdoor activities."
Hill encouraged residents to immediately call 911 if they notice a fire, which he said allowed firefighters to respond to Tuesday's blaze so quickly.
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