Firefighter injured battling Contra Costa County wildfire

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. - A firefighter was injured Monday afternoon while fighting a Contra Costa County wildfire. His condition is unknown but, fire crews were able to contain the blaze fairly quickly.  

One of the residents nearby says the fire could’ve been a lot worse because the land is dry, and the wind was blowing. The San Ramon Valley Battalion Chief says they got lucky this time and were able to contain this blaze.   

"Anytime you see smoke out here, obviously it makes you a little nervous. It can travel really fast, especially on a windy day like today," said Clayton Wiedemann, whose parents live close to where the fire began. 

Around 3:30 p.m., San Ramon Valley Fire says they received a call about a grass fire off Highland Road. Fire officials say the fire was on both sides of the road and, it initially covered about five acres. Then it grew to nearly 92 acres before fire crews could get it under control about an hour later.   

"It was a pretty big plume of smoke. It’s really windy so, it was pretty hard to tell where it was coming from or how big it was but, it was right next to their house. So, it was pretty concerning," said Wiedemann.  

San Ramon Valley’s Battalion Chief says multiple agencies worked together on land and from the air to contain the blaze. Although Contra Costa County is just on the outskirts of a red flag warning zone, he says people still need to do their part to lessen fire risks.   

"So just because we’re not in it, we’re still extremely close to it. So our folks will be hydrating, we stay hydrating, we watch the fields. We have our field mitigation program that we like to take care of before the fire starts. So for the last couple of months, our residents are really diligent about field mitigation around their residence," said Dan McNamara, San Ramon Valley Fire Battalion Chief.   

Weather forecasts this week say hotter temperatures are on the way and coupled with an already, drought-stricken landscape, McNamara says the chances of more wildfires like this one are pretty high. 

"The biggest help that you can be for yourself is that if we ask you to evacuate, please evacuate," McNamara said. 

Though no other injuries were reported, McNamara says one firefighter was transported away from the scene in an ambulance.  

The Battalion Chief says there was a report of low-hanging wires but, he couldn't confirm that. The cause of the fire is under investigation.