VPD HAS HANDS FULL TACKLING GLASS FIRE
Blaze now over 30 percent contained
The Vallejo Fire Department continued to make strides with putting out the Glass Fire over the weekend and on Monday, as the blaze reached 30 percent containment on Monday afternoon.
Five firefighters from VFD continued to help at the scene with the blaze, which has burned over 65,580 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties during the last week. The toughest day was Thursday and Saturday, according to Vallejo firefighter and spokesperson, Kevin Brown.
“On Thursday, we defended homes along Bell Canyon Road in Angwin. The area there is very dense with vegetation, making our defensive hand lines very difficult to install,” Brown said.
“On Saturday, we worked all day to clean up small fires around homes and wineries,” Brown continued. “Temperatures rose higher than expected and the winds were gustier than expected. Then, when the fire intensity picked up, the decision was made to fire out along Highway 128. We put the fire down along the south side of that highway, ahead of the main fire. We burned out the vegetation ahead of the main fire, which helped prevent the main fire from potentially jump that highway. So, a long day of work was followed by an even longer night of hiking steep terrain while lighting strategic fires ahead of the main fire.”
Brown said that the terrain has been mixed when trying to put out the fires.
“Some of the terrain has been very easy to work in. The local roadways have allowed for access to most areas” Brown said. “There are however, certain areas that are very difficult to access. On Saturday, there was a large flare-up southwest of Highway 128 and Bale Road. The terrain there is very steep,
and many local roads were blocked by downed trees and utility poles. Fortunately, an air assault was quickly mobilized utilizing bucket equipped helicopters to drop large amounts of water directly on the area of the flare up.”
According to Cal Fire, aggressive mop up and tactical patrol continue in areas where the fire’s forward progress has
stopped.
“Crews are working aggressively to construct and reinforce existing control lines. As people start returning home, be vigilant that emergency crews are still working in the area,” a statement on Cal Fire’s website read.
A local assistance center opened Monday at Napa County
Health and Human Services campus, which is located at 2751 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Building A, Napa, CA 94558.
The Glass Fire has 2,744 fire personnel from 27 crews working nonstop, but 1,235 structures have been destroyed, while 242 structures have been damaged.
The fire, now recognized as the most destructive fire to ever hit the Napa Valley region, has destroyed
or damaged structures at more than 15 wineries in the valley, including Spring Mountain, the small, elevated western AVA that had evaded wildfires up until this season.
Winemaker Andy Schweiger and his father Fred, a retired firefighter, spent 32 hours working alongside a CalFire team to save the property that’s been in the family since the 1960s. Andy slept in the family’s fire engine cab and eventually watched as the flames consumed an unoccupied house at Schweiger Vineyards, which is located 2,000 feet above St. Helena.
“It is the home that my dad and grandfather built together and then my grandfather retired and passed away in,” he said. The rest of the property is safe — for now.
During the VFD’s work, they have constantly seen many people leaving their homes, often for the last time.
“The areas that we are working in are starting to be re-populated. So, we
are encountering more local residents,” Brown said. “Most of the locals that we come in contact with are very grateful. A lot of homes and property was saved, despite the incredible fire behavior during the first few days of this fire. Even residents that lost everything have been grateful that they were evacuated quickly and safely. Of course, our hearts go out to everyone affected by this fire season.”
The air quality was a “moderate” 95 on Monday at 3 p.m., while in Vallejo the AQI number was 105, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Reports of rain later in the week gave optimism to some firefighters.
“Yeah, we’re hearing possible rain on Friday,” Brown said. “That would be a great help! This morning was surprisingly foggy, which was a welcomed change.”
Bay Area News Group writers Jessica Yadegaran and Linda Zavoral contributed to this story.