Cars catch fire in Antioch BART parking lot due to alleged gas thief

6 vehicles catch fire at BART parking lot; authorities blame attempted gas thief

Six vehicles went up in flames Thursday at a parking lot near the Antioch BART station. Authorities say the person responsible was attempting to steal gasoline from the vehicles.

ANTIOCH, Calif. - A person allegedly stealing gasoline at a BART parking lot in Antioch started a fire that burned six cars according to fire officials.

The thief apparently caused a Honda truck to spark just after 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, which ignited a trail of gasoline leading downhill to the other cars, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesperson Steve Hill.

"It appears the individual was using an electric drill to drill a hole in the tank," said Hill.

The six vehicles were "extensively damaged," Con Fire tweeted.

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Six cars burned on May 11, 2023 in a BART parking lot near its Antioch station, fire officials said.

From: KTVU FOX 2

The fire happened in the eBART parking lot that is adjacent to Slatten Ranch Road, the fire department said.

"I don’t understand. We pay for the BART and we don’t have any security. We pay for parking. It’s not like we park here for free," said one driver, who arrived from work to find his car destroyed.

"We need more security in here. Many times I came back, I saw windows shattered," said another owner, who also arrived from work to find her car destroyed.

Authorities will continue to investigate. The fire department did not have other information about the suspect.

KTVU's Zak Sos contributed to this report.