Concord Brush Fire Contained

A brush fire on May 4, 2015, took numerous hours to contain, according to Concord Fire Chief Dan Andrus.

The bulk of the fire was contained around 7 p.m. with crews continuing to mop up hot spots throughout the area, he said.

The scene was turned over to a crew of six from the State Division of Forests and Lands just before 9 p.m., Andrus said in a statement. The crew monitored the scene throughout the night and put out any new fires that occurred.

Concord Fire officials and state officials plan on meeting early in the morning to assess the situation and determine the need for additional resources, he said.

The initial alarm was transmitted at 12:59 p.m. and the incident grew to six alarms. At its peak, about 70 firefighters were working to contain the blaze. After several erratic shifts in the fire’s intensity and direction, crews were withdrawn while a helicopter made dozens of trips to dump thousands of gallons of water on the fire, he said.

There were no injuries, no structures damaged or threatened, and no significant vehicle damage. Some hose was damaged during the incident. The fire investigation will begins later today and “better estimates of the acreage involved should be available by late morning.”

“This is a tremendous testimonial to the effectiveness of regional dispatch and a well-functioning mutual aid system,” Andrus stated. “The coordination of resources went smoothly and teamwork among the almost the departments was evident.”

Captions: Photos at the scene of a May 4, 2015, brush fire. Credit: Brian Blackden