Sawmill Fire Shuts Down Highway 4 In Contra Costa County

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A wildfire charred an estimated 5 acres Tuesday afternoon along state Highway 4 near Port Costa and Rodeo, prompting the closure of westbound lanes and one eastbound lane.

The Sawmill Fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m. on eastbound SR-4 just west of Cummings Skyway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Witnesses saw smoke and flames coming from a hillside that appeared to be on fire, the CHP said.

By 2:15 p.m., the fire had spread to grass in the center divider as the CHP worked to shut down westbound SR-4 and divert traffic to Cummings Skyway.

At 2:30 p.m., the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department reported the wind-driven fire was 5 acres.

At 2:40 p.m., a sig-alert was issued as all westbound lanes were shut down at Cummings Skyway, along with one eastbound lane.

At one point, 30-40 cars were going the wrong way on the Cummings Skyway onramp to westbound SR-4 to get off the freeway, the CHP reported.

The Hercules Police Department responded to help shut down the freeway.

At 2:45 p.m., several crews with both the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department and Rodeo-Hercules Fire District were making significant progress in stopping the fire, officials said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

By 3 p.m., crews stopped the forward progress of the Sawmill Fire at 5 acres but resources remained on the scene for mop up. No further updates were expected unless conditions changed, the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department said.

This is a developing story; refresh the page for the latest updates.