Walnut Creek townhome fire kills two people, injures one

A fast-moving fire at a townhome in Walnut Creek left two people dead and one person injured early Monday, authorities said.

A bystander called firefighters to the two-story townhome located at on Countrywood Court, a mile east of the Pleasant Hill BART Station, at 6:23 a.m., said Chris Bachman, an assistant chief with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

Crews arriving on scene found “heavy fire and smoke” engulfing one home and encroaching on two others, Bachman said.

One resident who escaped the fire told firefighters that two other residents were trapped on the second floor of the townhome where the fire started, Bachman said.

Firefighters extinguished the flames and located the two residents, who were dead by the time crews reached them.

The victims were not immediately publicly identified.

The cause of the twoalarm blaze remained under investigation.

“Fire investigators are still digging the fire scene to try to determine the cause,” Bachman said.

Paramedics treated the surviving victim for minor injuries. The Red Cross was assisting that person, Bachman said, as well as residents of two nearby townhome units that were damaged in the fire.