Pittsburg grass fire destroys theater company's warehouse ahead of shows

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- A huge weekend grass fire in Pittsburg that started in an adjacent warehouse is under control, but the theater company that stored their props and costumes in the warehouse is devastated.

Dubbed the "John Fire," the wind-whipped blaze consumed 55 acres of grassland adjacent to a warehouse utilized by the Pittsburg Theatre Company late Sunday. Now, investigators with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District are on site to determine the cause.

Pittsburg Theatre Company board member Ava Duran said, "I was terrified because so much history is gone now."

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Theater volunteers spent Sunday morning moving items from the warehouse to the California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg for their upcoming string of performances starting this Friday.

"Basically we were getting set pieces from the warehouse to here for our production of 'The Sunshine Boys' and ended about an hour before we heard about the fire," Duran said.

Victor Daniel, spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said, "We received a call a little after 4 p.m. that a structure was on fire. Crews arrived on the scene. They recognized it was a grass fire as well with wind as a contributing factor. "

Several aircraft dropped retardant before the fire's progress was mostly halted overnight.

Now, the theater company is assessing what's next.

They successfully moved some of the set pieces and the costumes but lost all their wireless microphones, props and furniture. It's devastating to Pittsburg Theatre Company but also to other nearby theater companies in Clayton, Brentwood, Pinole and Martinez who share the same gear.

Board member Dianne Schepers said, "The show must go on so we are currently getting donations from the community to help us with furniture. We called it 'The Phoenix Project' because we figure we're rising out of the ashes and we want to continue on. A new home is what we need."

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