Brush fires burning in Contra Costa County on Saturday morning have consumed 655 acres east of Clayton, according to CalFire.
The Marsh Complex Fire was 50 percent contained as of 10:30 a.m. and no injuries have been reported and no structures are threatened, CalFire officials said.
A shelter in place was issued and residents were advised to stay inside and close doors and windows.
Smoke from the blaze also prompted air district officials on Saturday morning to issue an air quality advisory for the Bay Area through Sunday.
An estimated 200 firefighters were battling the blazes and aircraft were being used to dump water on the fires, CalFire said.
Crews first responded shortly after 3 a.m. to a fire near Marsh Creek Road and Bragdon Way in Clayton.
Cal Fire officials believe six to seven vegetation fires occurred in the area overnight, and the cause of the blazes is under investigation.
Authorities have closed Marsh Creek Road between Brentwood and Clayton.
Smoky air from the fires is expected in eastern Contra Costa County, including Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay and Pittsburg, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Onshore winds are expected to be light and are expected to become stronger throughout the day, the air district said.
Satellite images show that smoke is drifting east and down into the San Joaquin Valley.
If the smell of smoke is present, Bay Area residents should protect their health by avoiding exposure, the air district said.
If possible, residents should stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke levels subside.
Real-time air quality readings are available at https://go.usa.gov/xUwyz.
photo credit: East Contra Costa Fire Protection District
9 comments
Perhaps the license plate cameras on Marsh Creek Road at Clayton’s eastern border will prove helpful… And I imagine fire investigators are way ahead of me…
Doubtful it was spontaneous combustion. People living in the area might want to do some sort of covert nighttime patrol. Somebody wants the excitement of a fire, wants to collect insurance, or wants some overtime.
Does this mean that music in the park (in Clayton) is cancelled tonight?
It’s over 10 miles away from downtown Clayton and the wind is blowing away from Clayton. Music should still be on.
A very poorly planned arson……. a cool evening, very little wind, lousy planning my the arsonist. And I’ve been through many in Malibu, went out looking for them………………..108RS
I wish Concod/Clayton would have their police scanners online so citizens can check on local fires, crimes etc.
Ditto! We had the helicopter working along San Miguel Road the other night. Turned out to be that guy with a gun holed up in a residence. Would have liked to know if it was safe to walk the dog. I didn’t.
I contacted Broadcastify weeks ago to ask they dump the local scan feed that was offline and get a new one. They indicated it’s entirely voluntary, which explains why it’s not on – major pain to feed your scanner into your computer 24/7 so us cheapskates don’t have to buy our own. I looked into that. too – they’re not cheap and some can be very difficult to program.
Heard it was some stupid with a flare gun
Can’t fix stupid, but you should be able to hang them from their…….
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