Faulty BBQ Grill To Blame For $900K Apartment Fire

CONCORD, CA – A Friday night apartment fire in Concord that displaced 18 people was caused by a propane grill that ignited a patio area and quickly spread through the building, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman said today.

At about 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a call at the Diablo View Apartments at 4265 Clayton Road, where the fire had already burned through several units in the three-story building, according to fire
officials.

"It was a barbeque that somehow failed," Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said. "(The fire) then spread up though the balconies of the other units."

"We're confident it was accidental and not an arson situation," Marshall said.

Fire crews got the upper hand on the fire by about 10:30 p.m. but not before it grew to three alarms and burned through the second and third floors and the attic space, fire officials said.

No one was seriously hurt in the blaze, but four people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Fire officials originally estimated the number of displaced residents at 25.

The estimate of damage caused by the fire is about $900,000, Marshall said.

Exactly what caused the grill to fail is still under investigation.

• Also see: Inmate At Nearby Santa Rita Jail Allegedly Kills Cellmate

--Bay City News/Image via Contra Costa County Fire Protection District