Firefighters increase Glass Fire containment

Destructive blaze up to 10 percent contained by Saturday morning as dry and hot conditions draw concern.

Firefighters battling the destructive Glass Fire that has burned through homes and vineyards in California’s wine country increased their containment to 10 percent by Saturday morning, ahead of what is forecast to be another hot, dry day throughout the region.

The fire, which started on Sunday, Sept. 27, has burned through 62,360 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties and has been particularly destructive in the hills north of Calistoga and east of St. Helena. The fire remained active overnight because of low humidity and high temperatures, and the fire line crews have established remained threatened by “downed trees and other dry fuels,” according to a CalFire incident summary.

In Sonoma County, the fire has destroyed 120 single-family homes, four multifamily residences and one mixed residential and commercial property. Eight commercial structures have been destroyed, as have 131 minor structures and outbuildings. In Napa County, 173 single-family homes and one mixed residential and commercial property have been destroyed, as have 264 commercial buildings and 123 minor structures.

The City of Calistoga remains under an evacuation order, with the city’s police department reporting Friday evening that they were patrolling the city and no burglaries had been reported.

“Calistoga is looking a lot better, we were able to get in do a lot of control lines in there, do a lot of structure defense,” Cal Fire Batallion Chief Mark Brunton said at noon Q& A. “We’re feeling more confident on that side.”

Cal Fire was also bolstered by newly arrived crews from Oregon, which Brunton said have helped protect the communities of Angwin and Pope Valley, expected to be some of the primary areas of concern in the coming days. Crews in that area battled with spot fires overnight sparked by embers landing on extremely dry vegetation. Firefighters are also working “diligently” on the west side of Highway 29, south of Calistoga, to save the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, Bruton said.

And in Sonoma County, south of Santa Rosa, crews have been aided by some work left behind after the deadly 2017 Tubbs Fire, which destroyed thousands of homes in that city and caused 22 deaths.

A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office expired Saturday morning, but the service is still forecasting low humidity and temperatures in the 90s. “Another brief burst of northwest winds may impact the Glass Fire later this afternoon and evening but should be localized to gusts in the 25-30 mph range,” NWS wrote in a weather message early Saturday morning.

It wasn’t all bad weather news for firefighters, in part thanks to some winds that have helped clear smoke near the fire.

Further north, the deadly Zogg Fire in Shasta and Tehama counties grew slightly and continues to “burn in grass, oak woodland, chaparral and mixed timber,” according to a Cal Fire incident report. The fire, which has caused four deaths, has burned 56,305 acres and is now 57 percent contained. It has destroyed 179 structures and threatens 101 other buildings. Crews there are likewise anticipating hot, dry weather with light winds.

In the Bay Area, residents could expect another smoky day until northwestern winds on Sunday clear out the air.