Fire crews scrambled to meet requests for help from citizens in Pleasanton and Port Costa as two separate fires began to burn and build into multiple-alarm responses.
Evacuations were being planned in Port Costa and the California Highway Patrol were shutting down key roads due to smoke and impassability. Residents reported smoke plumes rising hundreds of feet into the air, sparking worried calls from residents in neighboring counties.
The simultaneous nature of the events was not lost on firefighting professionals, one of whom wrote: “I can’t remember a time when each county had a working multi alarm veg fire at the same time.”
The Port Costa blaze posed a threat to some homes and evacuations are underway (3:40pm).
The California Highway Patrol closed Carquinez Scenic Drive at Scenic Drive at Winslow Street and at Carquinez Scenic Drive at Canyon Lake Drive. Commanders estimated the size of the fire to be 50 acres.
Along with the fire in Port Costa, Benicia firefighters were dispatched to a second alarm grass fire near Corte Dorado.
The Pleasanton Police Department advised residents living in the area of Golden Eagle Way to evacuate due to the fire on the Pleasanton Ridge. Evacuations began at 2:46 p.m. as first responders battled a fire involving one structure and at least 10-15 acres of land.
