Containment rises for two NorCal wildfires

Fire crews report progress battling the Quail, Owens fires

Firefighters made progress overnight on two fires burning in Northern California, both of which sent people fleeing from their homes for several hours on Saturday.

Containment of the Quail Fire near Vacaville in northern Solano County rose overnight from 45% to 53%, while firefighters managed to raise containment of the Owens Fire in Mendocino County from 60% to 80%, according to updates Sunday morning from Cal Fire.

Firefighters managed to stop the Quail Fire's advance, and they planned to spend Sunday putting out hot spots and strengthening their containment lines, said Tom Knecht, a division chief for Cal Fire's Solano-Lake-Napa Unit. Sunday morning he said that the majority of roughly 65 firefighters assigned to the fire could be released by nightfall.

“The perimeter is looking really good, and today is mostly a lot of work to mop up the interior,” Knecht said.

The Quail Fire was first reported at 3:14 p.m. on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for all of Quail Canyon Road and Pleasants Valley Road from Quail Canyon north to Highway 128 and west to the county border. But those orders were downgraded to warnings about five hours later as fire crews made progress in battling the blaze.

Authorities have not announced a cause for the fire, which largely burned through grasses, oak woodlands and brush.

The Owens Fire has burned 36 acres since igniting Friday afternoon near Highway 1 and Bill Owens Road, along the coast about 100 miles north of San Francisco. The fire sent a plume of smoke rising from a heavily wooded area near the coast and briefly prompted about 50 residents to evacuate the area — though those orders have since been rescinded.

No cause for the Owens Fire has been announced.