A wave of sideshows in Contra Costa County resulted in two small fires and at least one collision on Saturday night.
In Antioch, when fire crews were called to a brush fire around midnight, they arrived at the scene when an active sideshow ongoing, per KNTV. There were reportedly several cars and fireworks being set off near the intersection of Cavallo Road and Wilbur Avenue.
Authorities reported that two of the cars in the sideshow had crashed before police arrived, although it’s unclear if there were any injuries.
Another fire also broke out a few towns over in Brentwood about two hours later as a result of a sideshow, as KTVU reported. Similarly, fire crews responded to a blaze at the intersection of Marsh Creek Road and Vineyards, which ended up burning about four acres of land.
It reportedly took more than an hour for the fire crews to bring the flames under control.
These weekend sideshows follow a recent decision from the Antioch City Council to take greater action against sideshow spectators, "in an effort to reduce reckless driving exhibitions and street racing," according to Contra Costa News. The City of Pittsburg, City of Oakland, and City of San Jose all have similar ordinances against sideshow spectators.
Meanwhile, the Antioch Police Department is short-staffed as several officers embroiled in the racist text scandal are on leave, and state lawmakers asked Gov. Newsom to send California Highway Patrol officers to help patrol a city this week, according to the East Bay Times.
Image via Joe Kukura, SFist.