Three fires, at least one of them possibly sparked when a car scraped a guardrail on eastbound Highway 24, kept firefighters busy Wednesday and caused some anxious moments for residents in the area hurriedly advised of the nearby flames.
The largest of the three fires was reported at 11:06 p.m. and was centered near Happy Valley Road and Mt. Diablo, with two others spotted burning west of that location in the eastbound lanes of the highway.
Drivers on Highway 24 pulled over – either due to smoke or out of curiosity, further hampering firefighters efforts to reach the fires. At least one crash was reported as a result. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District crews were kept busy attempting to find the best way to access each of the three blazes.
ConFire asked the CHP to close the fast lane of eastbound Highway 24 from Happy Valley to Acalanes in order to give firefighters access to the blazes.
Firefighters reported that the first blaze had consumed about one tenth of an acre and was moving slowly in low winds. They appeared to have the matter in hand by midnight, with additional fire apparatus from Moraga-Orinda and San Ramon Valley called on to assist.
Thanks for the updates! All night!!!
Followed your alerts all night long. Good job. Solid information and professional.
Thanks for saying so, Bryan. Nice to have you with us!
Don’t you guys ever sleep?
What’s that?
I still see fire trucks on the freeway 8:30
Hi Victoria. Firefighters are still patrolling the freeway looking for signs of flareups. So far, so good.
You had our full attention!
Are you saying that whole scene last night was triggered by a car scraping a guardrail?
Hate to say it but it so reminded me of the Hiller Highlands fire….
What’s next? Locusts?
Whats burning now??????
We have a stubborn fire burning behind Campolindo high school on Natalie Drive.