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CoCo County Crews Knock Down Grass Fire Near Site of Friday's Burn

WALNUT CREEK (CBS SF) -- Firefighters knocked down a two-alarm vegetation fire Saturday on Ygnacio Valley Road near Oak Grove Road in Walnut Creek, according to the Contra Costa Fire Protection District.

This is the second of two fires in the vicinity, one of which burned Friday. Cal Fire sent a full response, fire officials said on social media.

A grass fire Friday burned more than 200 acres on and around the Lime Ridge Open Space along Ygnacio Valley Road but was 85 percent contained by 10 p.m., according to fire officials.

Firefighters were working on full containment late Saturday afternoon.

While county Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said Friday's fire was caused by a car on Ygnacio Valley Road backfiring and igniting roadside vegetation, he said it isn't certain what started today's fire. It is possible embers from the Friday fire blew over and started Saturday's fire, Marshall said.

Ygnacio Valley Road, a key commute route between central and east Contra Costa County, was closed between Oak Grove Road in Walnut Creek and Cowell Road in Concord for about two hours Saturday afternoon. The same stretch was closed Friday for about four hours Friday, reopening about 8:30 p.m.

That closure had ripple effects throughout the area and helped snarl traffic on other commute routes including Highway 242, Highway 4, Willow Pass Road and even Bailey Road.

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