|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Pleasanton City Council opened Monday’s rescheduled meeting with public recognition for the city’s first responders and emergency services personnel for their efforts during last week’s wildfire that threatened the south side of town.
Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Chief Aaron Lacey, Pleasanton Police Chief Tracy Avelar and city emergency services manager Leo Lopez each heard directly from councilmembers as they expressed how thankful they were for everyone’s quick response to the “Little Fire”, which burned roughly 1,007 acres to the southeast of the Ruby Hill neighborhood after igniting on the afternoon of July 21.
“The severity of this event, for what it meant to Pleasanton, cannot be understated,” Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch said during Monday’s meeting.
After thanking all of the first responders and city employees who helped keep the city running while emergency crews got some rest, Balch fought back tears as he recounted his visit to the evacuation shelter that was set up at the Pleasanton Senior Center that first day.
“One of the starkest things as mayor is to see beds being set up in our Senior Center,” Balch said. “You only see that on TV. You only see it in other places. So when it’s happening in the city that I represent, it was a stark reminder that emergencies can happen anywhere.”
Last week’s fire was reported to have started just before 4 p.m. July 21. The so-called Little Fire quickly grew to a couple hundred acres in the matter of hours.
As the evening continued, it grew to just under 1,000 acres, which prompted residents in the Ruby Hill neighborhood and some surrounding neighborhoods to evacuate. Other areas in the northwestern portion of Sunol near where the fire originated were also ordered to evacuate.
LPFD was one of the first agencies to respond before Cal Fire fully took over. According to Cal Fire, the Little Fire was fully contained as of Saturday night. No structures were burned down and no resident casualties — one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to Cal Fire.
Lacey told the council over 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes and that close to 2,000 homes were threatened by the fire – the cause of which is still under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
He emphasized how none of the city’s response would be possible without all of the training staff undergo to prepare for these types of emergencies. He closed by thanking the community for the outpouring of thank-you calls, emails and letters.
“Thank you very much for honoring us and recognizing us tonight,” Lacey said during the meeting. “And thank you very much to the men and women of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, specifically. You’re rock stars, you’re heroes and you’ve made me a very proud fire chief tonight.”
Avelar spoke on how the police department handled neighborhood evacuations that day and how many officers worked overtime just in case the situation worsened and further action needed to be taken. She also thanked the community for their cooperation during a time of extreme stress.
Andra Cheung, a real estate agent in Pleasanton, said during public comment she was there representing the Chinese community in the city who wanted to express their gratitude toward the city’s first responders. She read a letter from one Ruby Hill resident who was in China at the time of the fire and who was only able to stay updated via online posts and updates.
“My heart was in my throat when I watched the fire move closer to my home, knowing that I have no way to return (to) help,” Cheung read from the letter. “I can never put into words how grateful I am for your timeless effort during those dangerous hours … Because of your courage, your quick response and your dedication, the fire was contained and so many homes, including mine, were saved.”
“You didn’t just stop a fire,” she continued reading. “You give families like mine hope and piece of mind.”
A little over half a dozen Ruby Hill residents also spoke about their experiences having to evacuate their families and expressed how thankful they were for the city’s response and reminded others how quickly things can change and to not take anything for granted.
Vice Mayor Matt Gaidos recounted how he was able to see the smoke from the courthouse in Dublin, where he works as a deputy district attorney, and how — after hearing and seeing footage from his daughter — he drove up and down his district area to talk to residents and help spread the word about what was happening.
He said he was particularly grateful for the fact that no structures were burned down and credited that largely on the firefighters and their quick response.
“Since I was little, this is the closest and biggest fire I’ve seen in the city of Pleasanton,” Gaidos said.
Gaidos also recalled how he and Balch spent that first evening at city hall and the evacuation center helping residents who were displaced. The council’s regular meeting scheduled for that night was postponed due to the fire and rescheduled for Monday.
“I’m glad as a city, we were so prepared for it,” he said.
Councilmember Jeff Nibert also thanked city employees for their quick work in setting up the evacuation center at the Pleasanton Senior Center, where he said over 60 people and roughly 20 pets sought shelter during the evacuation order.
“That was a testament to all of the emergency preparation that our city employees have undertaken in recent years,” Nibert said.
Balch and others closed their comments with reminders for residents to sign up for the city’s emergency alert system so that they can be notified and for residents to prepare or update their emergency plans.
Rash of break-ins strikes downtown Danville; police probe possible connection to crime ringSeptember 5, 2026 9:41 am
Amador Valley boys’ basketball hit with penalties, put on probation over player ineligibilitySeptember 5, 2026 10:38 am
