Gas theft sparks blaze that torches 6 cars at Antioch eBART lot

ANTIOCH -- In an apparent gasoline theft gone very wrong, six cars were destroyed in an Antioch BART parking lot Thursday after someone took an electric drill to punch a hole in the first vehicle's gas tank, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman said.

The drill apparently created sparks which ignited gasoline that flowed away, catching five other vehicles on fire.

Fire district spokesperson Steve Hill said firefighters were on scene four minutes after calls came in at 2:02 p.m. Thursday.

By then, two cars were engulfed in flames and four more were on their way to being destroyed in the eBART parking lot, adjacent to Slatten Ranch Road.

Investigators found the electric drill at the site. The suspect was gone by then.

"We don't know that someone wasn't injured," Hill said of the suspect, who remains at large.

It took firefighters 15 to 20 minutes to get the situation under control.

"It's a bit of a mess," Hill said. "You're going to have six commuters who are going to get the surprise of their lives."

Hill said "surprisingly, the vehicles around the six (destroyed) are fine and the parking lot is still open."

In:
• BART
• Antioch
• Car Fire