Crews halt forward progress of Point Fire in Contra Costa County

BAY POINT – Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings Friday evening as crews halted the forward progress of a brush fire burning between Bay Point and Concord.

The Point Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. off Evora Road. As of 9 p.m., the fire had consumed 462 acres and was 30% contained, according to the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit.

Roughly three and a half hours after the fire started, Cal Fire reported its forward progress had been stopped.

Evacuation orders were initially issued for zones CCC-E201, CCC-E215 and CCC-E216 in Concord. Around 7:30 p.m., all orders were downgraded to warnings.

Evacuation warnings remained in place for zones CCC-E217 and CCC-E218 in Bay Point.

The fire ignited as many residents were still at work, leaving them to watch from afar as flames threatened their houses.

Jacob Ford, who lives in Bay Point, was working in Livermore when he heard about the blaze. He watched news reports detailing how aircraft were dropping retardant near his neighborhood.

“It’s insane,” Ford said. “It’s pretty nerve-wracking. There’s nothing really I can do but let the firefighters do their job.”

Conditions ripened Friday afternoon for fires in the Bay Point area, with humidity levels dropping to 15% and wind gusts reaching 26 mph at around 3 p.m., said National Weather Service meteorologist Dial Hoang.

Temperatures hovered in the low-to-mid 80s as firefighters fought the blaze, with humidity levels reaching 29% by about 5:30 p.m., he said.

The fire comes as the area saw dry conditions during the day, but humid conditions at night.

“With the winds diminishing tonight, it should be easier for firefighters to get control of the situation,” Hoang said.

Daniel Davis and his wife were driving home when the fire sparked, forcing them to take a back way home, due to multiple road closures. They were only there for about 20 minutes before being told to evacuate — just long enough to grab some essentials, he said.

He estimated the flames were 200 to 300 yards from his house when he left. The fire appeared to be burning in a nearby field, prompting authorities to rush in heavy machinery to dig fire lines. Overhead, at least two airplanes and multiple helicopters could be seen dropping retardant to slow the blaze’s spread, Davis said.

The threat of fire has “always been top of mind living there,” Davis said. “They always bring out the cattle and sheep to remove the vegetation, but we knew at some point we’d be dealing with some kind of fire.”

“You hope everything’s alright. You hope the house will be fine. But your life is most important,” he added.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.