Contra Costa County fire crews respond to 33 arson calls in two days, arrests made

CONCORD, Calif. - Kyle Poole's house is located up the hill from Hillcrest Park in Antioch, where someone set 6 fires over the weekend.

"We heard crackling first. My wife came up, and we saw the smoke coming in the backyard. And then the following day we heard it a little louder because it was right at the bottom of the walkways there," said Poole. "It was a scary situation for us."

Steve Hill with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said crews responded to 33 arsons across the county in a 48-hour time span.

Investigators were able to track down and arrest 4 people believed to be the arsonists.

Hill said, "Even though those fires were mostly set near homes and businesses we were able to get on them quickly and keep them from spreading into those structures. So no structures were lost in those 33 fires."

Hill said firefighters train year-round, and there’s plenty that residents should do as well. For example, the weed abatement deadline in Contra Costa County is May 31st. This includes mandatory brush clearing and tree trimming. Many neighborhoods also fall in the "wildland urban interface." These are areas where homes are surrounded by highly flammable vegetation.

"The fires yesterday in Southern California are just a reminder that we are in dangerous fire weather here," said Hill. "The conditions on the ground are very dangerous because the fuel is so dry and there is so much of it."