Fire station in east CoCo County closes again due to lack of funding

KNIGHTSEN, Calif. (KGO) -- For the fourth time in five years a fire station in east Contra Costa County has closed because of a lack of funding.

The closure of the station in Knightsen affects people living in five cities - Bethel Island, Knightsen, Brentwood, Oakley and Byron.

Station 94 in Knightsen closed yesterday.

The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is out of money and doesn't have the budget to sustain four fully staffed stations.

Three stations remain open in Oakley, Brentwood and Discovery Bay.

"I just think it's crazy how they're going to shut down the fire department one week before the busiest time of the year for them these fire trucks are in and out of this place all day long, all night long," Knightsen resident Steven Jeglum said.

Response times are expected to go way up district wide.

The battalion chief blames three failed ballot measures for the lack of funding.