Willow Fire near Concord close to full containment, burns 62 acres

A wind-whipped vegetation fire burned just over 60 acres near Highway 4 Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Cal Fire said the Willow Fire began burning in the area of Willow Pass Road and Avila Road at about 1:19 p.m. And forward progress was stopped around 2:30 p.m., Cal Fire said.

By 6:15 p.m., the fire was 85% contained.

Firefighters said, thankfully, the fire was in an area with no houses nearby and they were able to put it out relatively quickly. Fire crews on scene told KPIX when they first arrived it was only a few acres.

"When we got on scene it was about two acres in size at the base of the hill and the wind and the hill took it for a ride and up and over it went," said Battalion Chief Greg Sawyer with Contra Costa Fire.

Firefighters said the closest buildings to the fire were on the other side of the hill. They were able to deploy their brand-new fire helicopter to dump retardant and stop the fire in its tracks.

"We just started it today. It went to work about an hour after it went into service, so we're getting to play with all our new toys," said Sawyer.

Firefighters said they were thankful to have those resources to be able to put the flames out quickly. They plan to continue to monitor this area and the surrounding region closely as high winds remain an issue.

"I know this evening is going to be windy like it always is out here, but at the top of the hill here, you know Highway 4 and Willow Pass, every night's windy so we're used to it," said Sawyer.

It's the wind forecasted for this area over the next few days that really has firefighters still on edge.

They said they'll be watching that whole region very closely and will be ready in case anything else happens.

Winds in the area were gusting to 24 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

No structures were immediately threatened.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, according to Cal Fire.