Glass fire 95% contained after burning nearly 800 houses
S AC RA M E N TO, Calif. — The Glass fire, a destructive wildfire that burned close to 800 homes in California’s North Bay area and forced tens of thousands to evacuate after sparking in extreme wind late last month, is almost fully contained.
With temperatures cooler, humidity higher and winds calmer, crews have made great progress in recent days, boosting containment to 95% on the nearly 67,500-acre fire, Cal Fire said in a Monday morning update.
Cal Fire reported activity on the Glass fire is “limited” and said firefighting resources are being “demobilized,” according to a Sunday evening incident report. Fewer than 900 personnel were assigned to the incident as of then, down from well over 2,000 much of last week.
Limited evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for isolated areas within Napa and Sonoma counties, but the vast majority have been lifted, allowing residents to repopulate most of the region. Napa County is holding a virtual community recovery meeting at 4 p.m. Monday to provide residents with resources and information on how to safely return home after the fire.
The Glass fire started early in the morning on Sept. 27 as separate incidents that quickly merged and exploded in size within 48 hours, swept east by very gusty winds. Starting near Calistoga, the Glass fire spread east into the heart of the North Bay region known as Wine Country, prompting evacuations of Calistoga, the town of Angwin, neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Santa Rosa and other, unincorporated communities.
No deaths or injuries have been reported, but close to 650 homes were destroyed: 334 in Sonoma and 308 in Napa. Nearly 160 more were damaged across the two counties, according to Cal Fire’s Sonoma- Lake- Napa unit. Hundreds of commercial buildings, including renowned wineries and restaurants as well as outbuildings and other minor structures, were also consumed or badly damaged.
At more than 1,550 total structures razed, the Glass fire is the 10th-most destructive blaze in state history, according to Cal Fire.
Six of California’s 20 most destructive wildfires ever have sparked this year, all since midAugust. Four of them — the Glass fire, the millionacre August Complex, the North Complex and the Creek fire — are not yet 100% contained. Cal Fire says the LNU Lightning Complex and CZU Lightning Complex, which are No. 11 and No. 12 on that list, respectively, have gone final.
This year is by far California’s most intense wildfire season ever recorded in terms of land area burned. Cal Fire reported more than a week ago that dozens of major fires and hundreds of smaller ones have combined to torch 4 million acres. No other calendar year, since record-keeping began, has reached even 2 million acres.
At least 31 people have died from California’s wildfires this year, and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed.
In a statewide summary Monday morning, Cal Fire said more than 12,600 firefighters continue to fight 14 major wildfire incidents burning in California.