A wildfire burning near Mount Diablo prompted evacuation warnings Friday, July 17, for residents in eastern Contra Costa County between Morgan Territory Regional Preserve and Mount Diablo State Park, roughly 15 to 20 miles east of Lamorinda. Firefighters deployed eight air tankers and four helicopters to battle flames racing through steep terrain.

The Morgan Fire ignited at approximately 2 p.m. Friday near the 2430 block of Morgan Territory Road at Marsh Creek Road, east of Clayton, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. The blaze started at about 2 acres and quickly raced uphill through brush and timber on steep slopes.

By 5:48 p.m., firefighters reported the fire at 50 acres. An initial estimate of 125 acres was later revised downward after improved aerial mapping.

Evacuation warnings

At 4:40 p.m. Friday, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District issued an evacuation warning for residents in Zones CCC-249 and CCC-250. No mandatory evacuation order had been issued as of Friday afternoon. No Lamorinda neighborhoods are under any warning.

The fire district told residents in its emergency alert to gather medications, important papers, photos, and money, and to locate and prepare to cage or leash pets. Those who need additional time to evacuate were told to leave immediately.

Air and ground attack

The response grew to a three-alarm incident with eight air tankers and four helicopters, according to incident reports. Crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire attacked the fire from both the air and the ground.

Cal Fire SCU posted on X Friday evening that with better mapping, the Morgan Fire was estimated at 50 acres with a retardant line around approximately 75 percent of the perimeter.

As of the most recent report on structures, issued at 3:20 p.m. Friday, officials had not reported any structures threatened or damaged, any injuries, or the cause of the fire.

Current status

No updated containment or status information was available as of Saturday, July 18. The fire remained active as of Cal Fire's last update Friday evening.

Residents can check evacuation zones at protect.genasys.com and monitor emergency alerts at CWSAlerts.com.