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LAFAYETTE — Fire crews have stopped forward progress of a small, rapidly spreading grass fire Sunday that crossed part of Highway 24 near Mount Diablo Boulevard, spurring evacuation orders for part of the city nearby.
Shortly after 1:50 p.m., callers said a brush fire on a hillside near Pleasant Hill Road began moving toward the highway.
Flames jumped the highway to the eastbound lane side around 2:10 p.m. near the BART station.
BART said a bus bridge between its Orinda and Walnut Creek stations was not stopping at the Lafayette station, and the County Connection’s No. 6 would provide mutual-aid service between Orinda and Lafayette. The bus bridge resumed full service to the Lafayette station around 4 p.m.
Contra Costa County activated its community warning system, sending alerts by email: “Immediate evacuation in the area of Camino Diablo & Springbrook Rd.,” Lafayette police shared at 2:37 p.m. “The fire has crested the hill behind the tennis club on Camino Diablo. … Leave the area until further notice.”
“Due to a fast-moving fire, an immediate evacuation has been ordered for the area south of Old Tunnel Road and between El Curtola Blvd and Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette,” the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said in a follow-up alert. “Leave now by and go to Springhill Elementary School located at 3301 Springhill Road in Lafayette.”
ConFire crews managed to stop the forward progress of the fire, estimated at around 5 acres, shortly before 3:30 p.m.
In a tweet, a ConFire spokesman said the Tennis Club building on Camino Diablo was a total loss, with damage to an outbuilding and a home suffering minor roof damage.
Update on the Lafayette Fire. The Tennis Club building is a total loss, one outbuilding received damage and a residential structure had minor damage to the roof. pic.twitter.com/IyR5ttSa3Y
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) October 27, 2019
Residents were told to take essential items, carry pets in a carrier or on a leash, lock windows or doors before leaving and stay off phones unless reporting a life-threatening emergency.
Those unable to leave homes without assistance should call 911.
Evacuation orders were lifted for streets south of Highway 24 around 4:30 p.m., and for streets north of Highway 24 just after 7 p.m.
This was one of many fires Sunday in the East Bay, where powerful winds led PG&E to shut off service to thousands of residents.
Check back for updates.
Immediate Evacuation near Camino Diablo and Springbrook Road in Lafayette due to fire(46) (https://t.co/eyxYXfAVGp)
— Contra Costa CWS (@CoCoCWS) October 27, 2019
Immediate Evacuation south of Old Tunnel Road in Lafayette due to fire(46) (https://t.co/eyxYXfAVGp)
— Contra Costa CWS (@CoCoCWS) October 27, 2019
Lafayette Fire, forward progress has stopped. pic.twitter.com/GH6AI93Bja
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) October 27, 2019
Lafayette Fire Evacuations South of Highway 24 are cleared to return. Any evacuation North of Highway 24 not cleared yet.
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) October 27, 2019
The evacuation orders have now been lifted for North of Highway 24 in Lafayette.
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) October 28, 2019
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.