A Contra Costa County supervisor wants to find a way to close the Richmond auto-wrecking yard where some 200 vehicles burned in a smoky, attention-getting fire last week.
The blaze sent up a huge plume of black smoke for several hours, leading to a shelter-in-place order for local residents and schools. The smoke also prompted an investigation by local air regulators.
Supervisor John Gioia, who represents the unincorporated area where the fire broke out, was among those caught in the smoke and had to stay indoors at one of the nearly 30 schools under the temporary shelter order. The property is located at Gertrude Avenue and Richmond Parkway, close to Chevron's Richmond refinery.
He wants county building officials to investigate the property and the business, Deal Auto Wrecking, with the hope that it would be shut down.
“It’s been here a while and it would be better for the community for this facility not to be here," Gioia said in an interview. “This fire could form the basis of establishing that this facility is a nuisance in many ways. Frankly, it’s a land use that we would like to see go away."