Pacheco storage facility to notify renters of devastating grass fire

PACHECO, Calif. (KTVU) - A storage facility in Pacheco will begin notifying renters on Wednesday that their belongings were destroyed in a grass fire.

The fire started around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and tore through a homeless encampment and quickly spread to the Pacheco Mini Storage. 

Employees at the facility said 49 units were destroyed and others suffered smoke and water damage. 

Kelly Van Schaik, manager of Pacheco Mini Storage, said some units contained classic cars, work tools, and important documents. 

"I've already had people calling seeing if their stuff is lost," she said. "I had one person come in asking where do we go from here and I just had to say I'm sorry. Unless they have insurance on their property, there's not a lot we can do."

A homeless man who lived in a grassy area near the storage units lost most of his belongings in the fire. 

The blaze is under investigation, but an official with Contra Costa Fire Protection said most fires that break out along a highway are caused by human activity like a cigarette thrown out of a window or a vehicle malfunction.