Six homes were damaged and 10 people displaced by a fire Wednesday morning along the Richmond Greenway, according to authorities.
Firefighters initially responded to what was reported as a small vegetation fire at about 11:25 a.m. in the area of South 39th Street and Ohio Avenue in south Richmond, Richmond Fire Battalion Chief Rico Rincon said Thursday. The fire was put out around 12:30 p.m.
There were no injuries in the incident although a resident’s dog died, according to Rincon.
“Looks like the initial callers saw it around the rear of one of the residences in one of the backyards,” he said. “It was upgraded to a structure fire as the fire got exposed to the residences.”
Wednesday was a red flag warning day in the Bay Area, the second to be issued in Richmond so far this fire season, due to high winds and low humidity. Firefighters said on social media that when they arrived at the fire the combination of flames and 30 mph winds presented an “immediate threat” to neighboring structures, as the fast-moving fire spread to multiple backyards.
The damage to the six homes ranges from minor to major damage, Rincon added.
“There were 33 firefighters who responded within all of our units, including our chief staff,” he said. “It also included units from El Cerrito Fire Department and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.”
Investigators are still attempting to determine what caused the blaze.
“It normally takes a couple days for our investigators to get back to us so at this time it is still undetermined,” Rincon said.
On red flag days residents are advised to be extra cautious by avoiding activities that could cause a spark, such as mowing the lawn, parking or driving over dry vegetation, not properly extinguishing cigarettes or barbecues or using fireworks.
