A 125-acre wildfire burning in steep terrain near Mount Diablo prompted evacuation warnings Friday, July 17, for residents in two zones that border Walnut Creek's eastern open-space corridor.
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District issued the warnings at 4:40 p.m. for zones CCC-249 and CCC-250, located between Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and Mount Diablo State Park. No evacuation order had been issued as of Friday evening, but the district urged residents to prepare to leave.
The Morgan Fire ignited around 2 p.m. near the 2430 block of Morgan Territory Road at Marsh Creek Road, east of Clayton. It started at roughly 2 acres and raced uphill through brush and timber on steep slopes, reaching approximately 125 acres, according to CAL FIRE SCU, which classified the rate of spread as moderate.
Air tankers, helicopters join ground crews
Eight Type 1 air tankers and four helicopters joined ground crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire, according to incident reports. The agencies attacked the fire from the air and the ground throughout Friday afternoon.
Dry vegetation, hot temperatures, and uphill winds accelerated the fire's growth, according to the fire district.
No structures damaged as of Friday afternoon
As of 3:20 p.m. Friday, officials had not reported any structures threatened or damaged, any injuries, a containment percentage, or a cause. Those figures had not been updated in available reports as of Friday evening.
The fire district told residents in the warning zones to gather medications, important papers, money, and photos, and to cage or leash pets. Residents who need extra time to evacuate were told to leave immediately.
How to check your zone
Residents can look up their evacuation zone at protect.genasys.com and monitor emergency alerts at CWSAlerts.com. The incident remained active as of the last available update Friday evening, and fire officials said additional updates would be released as conditions changed.
A Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesperson was not reached for comment on Saturday, July 18. Final containment, total acreage, cause, and any structure damage remain pending.
