Walnut Creek closes open spaces over concerns of extreme temps, fire danger
WALNUT CREEK – Open space parks in Walnut Creek are closed through the Labor Day weekend, as the region braces for several days of extreme heat.
"This is not the weekend to hike in the wildland environment," said Contra Costa County Deputy Fire Chief Aaron McAlister. "We're trying to eliminate risk this weekend when it's going to be over 100 degrees for multiple days."
UPDATE: Officials to close more East Bay park spaces over fire danger from heat
McAlister told KPIX 5 that the department pushed for the spaces to close due to a combination of fire danger and heat danger.
"Contra Costa Fire does routine rescues in the open spaces when it's 80 and 90 degrees," he said. "Those are particularly difficult areas for us to reach. You're more likely to experience a medical emergency under the dangerous conditions we're going to have this weekend. So, if we can prevent those by discouraging the public from going into those open spaces, it's better for the public and it's safer for firefighters."
Open spaces affected include Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge, Acalanes Ridge, and more.
"We certainly appreciate the public wants to spend some family time and some outdoor time, and get some exercise," McAlister said. "Look for opportunities to do that, that don't take you 2-3 miles off the road."
Sophia Vukanovich found about the closure when she showed up to the Lime Ridge Open Space for a hike on Thursday morning.
"I'll probably go walk around the block by my house," she told KPIX 5.
Though she was disappointed, Vukanovich said she understands the reasons why.
"I think it makes sense if it's super hot," she said. "They just want to look out for the safety of others. I think it's a good idea, honestly."
Lafayette resident Donald Willis has lived near the Acalanes Ridge Open Space since 1972.
"The Acalanes Open Space – it's on both sides of the hill behind my house," he said.
Willis says the move to close the spaces over the weekend may be a bummer for some people, but it makes no difference to him.
"This patio is a nice place to enjoy the sunshine until it gets to about 105, and then I complain," he said.
Willis' friend and another longtime local, Greg Meronek, isn't looking forward to the heatwave. He said a lot of the homes in the area don't have air conditioning.
"I'm not a big fan of the heat. So, we're going to stay inside. We have an air conditioner, portable air conditioner that we're going to use," he said. "A lot of the homes here, when they were built, they didn't come with air conditioning. The way that they're designed makes it difficult to retrofit, so people have to come up with their own solutions."
McAlister said the fire department is bringing in extra staff for the hot weekend.
"We're planning in terms of additional staff. Hydration units that can deliver large amounts of drinking water to firefighters at an emergency incident very rapidly," he said. "We're staffing our hand crew overnight all weekend. That's a wildland firefighting hand crew that can respond to these events and kind of be a force-multiplier for us so we can get our engine companies back in service faster to handle medical emergencies and other calls for service."