The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended its air quality advisory for wildfire smoke in eastern Contra Costa County through Wednesday.
The Marsh Fire has burned more than 500 acres near the shoreline of Bay Point and Pittsburg since May. The smoldering fire is now mostly consuming peat, a spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, usually plant material found in wetlands.
Millions of gallons of water have been pumped into the area from the Delta and Contra Costa Water District diverting water at Mallard Slough since last week.
Smoke has been impacting the areas of Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District officials said peat fires are very difficult to extinguish, though this one is nearly out of fuel. Peat can be found down to 6 feet below the surface.
The fire started May 28 near a Bay Point homeless encampment. It flared up more than a week ago and threatened PG&E lines and homes near Pittsburg before firefighters got it back under control.
The air quality advisory is not a Spare the Air alert, but people with sensitivities to smoke and other pollutants are advised to take precautions such staying indoors with the windows and doors closed and using re-circulated air in vehicles when driving.
Although efforts to flood the fire have begun to make progress, air officials expect smoke from the fire to affect the area through Wednesday, at least. Onshore winds during the day are expected to disperse smoke, but as winds die down overnight localized pollution levels may rise during the overnight and early morning hours. Pollutant levels are not expected to exceed the national 24-hour health standard.
.
Let’s all thank the homeless for this smoldering fire.
.
Remember, it’s not a crime nor the action and consequences resulting from being homeless.
.
… just ask Oakland!
BAAQMD does nothing about this fire polluting our air. But, they just post about spare the air days. Great work.
“The fire started May 28 near a Bay Point homeless encampment.”
Give me a reason these places are not dealt with as they should be..I am waiting
& the fire started in May & now they flood it…take you time
Stick it Broadbent!
Since Claycord won’t say it, guess someone should…and feel free to check yourself.
From west to east (Lost Anchor Bait Shop (next to the marked PG&E Environmental Restoration project site) to GenOn Pittsburg Generation Station), the following parcels are visible in County GIS and property records show:
APN 098-250-013 with owner PG&E
098-260-001 with owner PG&E
096-100-020 with owner PG&E
096-100-027 with Southern Delta Energy LLC
096-100-018 with owner Contra Costa Water Division
096-100-032 Southern Delta Energy LLC
Per Contra Costa County Fire District Ordinance No. 2019-37 Underground Fires – Peat Fires Section 321.7.1: it is the duty of the person, firm, corporation, or association not to permit a peat fire or a fire involving combustible vegetable matters under the surface of the natural ground to remain upon the property. Etc. etc.
CCCFPD should not have allowed, what appears to be PG&E, to dictate that they were just going to let it burn out because it would have just taken too much time, energy, and money to address the issue. Are the causative parties (the transients) or the landowners (PG&E) or the Air District going to compensate the nearby residents who have been otherwise forced to breath in the smoke from this fire?
Well, that’s what they did with covid and people bought it. Seems like it works to control the dumb.
Pittsburg now has the equivalent of the Simpsons’ Springfield Tire Fire
Channel two posts a video of the fire everyday saying the smoke is lessening. They are either using the original video or it is not lessening.