Firefighters across the Bay Area converged on Rodeo yesterday to combat a wildfire that scorched 62 acres of vegetation. According to a social media post by the Crockett Carquinez Fire Department, multiple agencies, including Crockett Fire, Contra Costa County Fire, Richmond Fire, CalFire SCU, East Bay Regional Parks, El Cerrito Fire, and Marin County Fire, provided mutual aid. The collaboration was crucial in the firefighting effort as crews worked diligently to contain the blaze.
The fire was reported shortly after noon near Claeys Court and Sterling Drive and quickly started to ascend a steep hillside at a moderate rate of spread. Despite the fire's proximity to a residential subdivision and the Phillips 66 carbon plant, firefighters managed a prompt response. Cal Fire reported that the fire was 40 percent contained by approximately 2:15 PM, and it reached 70 percent containment by 9 PM, by which time, the fire had expanded to 65 acres.
With the fire menacingly close to homes on Dennis Court and yards away from State Highway 4, aerial support became integral to the firefighting efforts. As detailed by CBS News, Cal Fire deployed air tankers that dropped retardant, and helicopters were enlisted to conduct water drops. These aerial maneuvers complemented the ground crews who diligently worked to encircle the fire with containment lines.
