The Benicia Port Fire that began burning Saturday afternoon has been fully extinguished, officials confirmed.
According to officials, the fire was declared extinguished at 12:24 p.m. thanks to the efforts of Solano County Office of Emergency Services and the Benicia Fire Department.
The fire was still burning Sunday morning and smoke was still visible at the scene. Officials said favorable wind conditions helped keep the air quality threats to the public at a minimum.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“The primary concern was the safety of the community,” said Benicia Fire Chief Chadwick. “The biggest potential threat to the community was air quality. The smoke emitting from the fire contained particulate matter and the potential of toxicity from chemicals. We were fortunate in having continuous wind blowing from the west, allowing the smoke to blow towards the water and dissipate before impacting other populated areas.”
The city of Benicia, California Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Coast Guard assessed environmental impact of the fire and advised caution when navigating waterways.
Local
Solano County Environmental Health staff were on scene all day yesterday performing mobile air monitoring, at no time did they register harmful readings.
A statement released by the city explains boaters should maintain a safe distance while operations continue at the Benicia Port Terminal. 3,000 feet of boom are expected to be deployed to help capture debris.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
