Fireworks could be to blame for fire on Concord high school's newly-installed football field: police

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- An artificial turf football field at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord burned over the weekend, and it was rendered "unplayable." At first, officials were investigating the fire as potentially arson but surveillance video is revealing who might have sparked the fire and why.

This new state of the art multi-million dollar artificial turf was just installed this spring. Now on the 50-yard line, is a giant black burn mark spanning a third of the football field at Mt. Diablo High School. Up close, you can see the melted turf and powdery debris warping the ground.

Police believe kids setting off fireworks on the Red Devil school logo might have sparked the destruction.

"When you watch the surveillance footage you don't just see flames jump up. It looks likely it was a smoldering fire," Lt. Kevin Hall with Concord police said. "You had fireworks set off that likely sparked the fire that slowly burned throughout the night until it was discovered in the morning. It looks to us from the surveillance footage that it's more than likely juveniles or kids."

The school's vice principal said, "Its really devastating to both our football and flag football programs because this was the first time this turf was going to be used which was this Friday for our first home football game, so now that football game had to be moved to Concord High School."

The manufacturer of the brand-new, expensive, supposedly fire-resistant turf, has been contacted by the school. Where other games will be played the rest of the season is still up in the air. A neighboring school? Diablo Valley College? Practices for now are on an unlined, unmarked soccer field that could be painted to help players.

"We have school resource officers that work in the high schools," Lt. Halm said. "They're going to take that footage and try to identify people that were there that night. We're also asking for the public's help."

Lt. Halm added that they can't yet rule out arson.