Here's How Many Fires Broke Out July 4 In Walnut Creek, Contra Costa

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Contra Costa County Fire Protection District made details available Thursday of the fire and emergency medical service activity, much of it fireworks-related, in the city of Walnut Creek and across the district on the recent Fourth of July holiday evening.

For the six-hour period from 8 p.m. July 4 to 2 a.m. July 5, the district dispatched crews to 69 fire incidents — representing a more than 400 percent increase over other recent Tuesdays, which in June, averaged 20 fire dispatches for the entire day, Con Fire Spokesperson Steve Hill said.

Year-over-year, fire incidents were up nearly 60 percent.

In Walnut Creek, there was one fire between 8 p.m. July 4 and 2 a.m. July 5, according to the below chart provided by Con Fire.

The holiday evening’s 69 fire incidents point to the dangers of fireworks use in current heightened fire danger conditions. Eleven of these fires are known to have been caused, and another 51 are suspected of having been caused, by fireworks, Hill said.

The lone blaze in Walnut Creek, the Whitecliff Fire, broke out near the Rockspring Place entrance to Shell Ridge and burned 3 acres. Some residents started evacuating on their own but crews quickly gained the upper hand and no structures were harmed or threatened.

"It's not been definitively linked to fireworks, however, we couldn't roll them out," Hill said about the Walnut Creek blaze. "I can tell you the next day fireworks were found on the hillside near where the fire started."

While the cool weather was favorable and the midweek timing had the holiday falling on a work night, Hill said, fires numbered some 60 percent more than the Fourth of July 2022 when there were 44 fire incidents for the same evening period.

In spite of more than 60 grass, vegetation and other exterior fires burning across the district on the evening of the Fourth, only four structure fires ensued. Of these, in three cases, fireworks could not be ruled out as the cause, including the Walnut Creek fire.

In the worst structure fire of the evening, in the 2 a.m. hour in Antioch, a garage was destroyed and two adjacent homes were substantially damaged as a result of fireworks. In all, four residents were displaced, and a dog died, as a result of this unnecessary fire, Hill said.

EMS Calls Also Up

Calls for emergency medical services were also up over normal, non-holiday periods with some of this increase likely attributable to fireworks activity. On the Fourth, 240 emergency medical service — EMS— incidents were dispatched with 64 of these occurring between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. the next day. Total EMS responses represent about a 20 percent increase over more typical weekdays. On average, Con Fire responds to just over 200 EMS incidents daily.

In one particularly egregious case, a 66-year-old male in Martinez was gravely injured in the 10 p.m. hour when he lost part of a hand while holding an exploding firework, Hill said.

Considerable preparation across the district, including upstaffing of additional dispatchers; two hand crews and equipment; two fire dozers; and the district operations center, staffed by multiple chief officers; resulted in rapid and overwhelming responses, which served to limit fire spread, and resultant damage when fires did occur, Hill said.

All 60-plus grass and exterior fires were kept small, limiting the potential for structure damage as a result of rapid and overwhelming responses as well as early notifications to 911 by residents, Hill said.