At 2:08 pm Tuesday, East Contra Costa firefighters responded to Byron Highway and Herdlyn Road in rural Byron for a report of a vegetation fire.
East Contra Costa Fire was joined by the Contra Costa County Sheriffs STARR Helicopter, which advised that the fire had grown to 10-acres in an open field. Upon Battalion Chief 5’s arrival, this was a hay field which recently cut hay bales and they were on fire.
The District was also joined by CAL-Fire and French Camp Fire with the Sheriffs office providing water drops on the fire.
The cause of the fire was undetermined and appears to be accidental in nature.
According to Jake Gonzales, BC, the workers on scene advised they were cutting and bailing hay with mechanized equipment when they noticed the hay field on fire. He says the exact cause is undetermined.
