Firefighters increase Glass Fire containment
Firefighters battling the Glass Fire were optimistic that conditions could aid them against the blaze by early next week.
Firefighters battling the destructive Glass Fire in the heart of California’s wine country were cautiously optimistic that weather conditions could aid thema gainst the blaze by early next week, even as they braced for what promises to be another hot, dry weekend.
With wildfires raging up and down California, the Glass Fire has ripped through 62,360 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties, destroying homes and beloved vineyards north of Calistoga and east of St. Helena. But with containment up to 10% as of Saturday, Cal Fire officials were hopeful that favorable weather could soon give crews an edge — so long as they push through another bout of high winds and low humidity expected to last through Sunday morning.
“If we get through this operational period and get better humidity, that’ll be a good turning point,” said Donna Sager, a Cal Fire public information officer for the Glass Fire. “Getting through this next period will be the key.”
Although flames were active throughout Saturday, crews largely avoided the high winds they feared going into the weekend, Sager said. Firefighters meanwhile reported better strongholds surrounding the Calistoga, which remains under evacuation order, plus progress in staving off the flames near Santa Rosa.
“Calistoga is looking a lot better, wewere able toget in do a lot of control lines in there, do a lot of structure defense,” Cal Fire Batallion Chief Mark Brunton said in a Saturday update. “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 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, Brunton 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.
“We’re using old control lines from the 2017 fires,” Brunton said. “Some of those have had success, some of them we tried utilizing them and the fire blew past that.” Since it started on Sept. 27th, the fire has destroyed 120 single-family homes, four multi-family residences and one mixed residential and commercial property in Sonoma County. Eight commercial structures have been destroyed, as have 131 minor structures and outbuildings. Meanwhile 173 single-family homes and one mixed residential and commercial property have been destroyed in Napa County, along with 264 commercial buildings and 123 minor structures.
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. The National Weather Service predicted another burst of northwest winds overnight Saturday that could hit up to 30 miles per hour, and potentially feed fire hotspots.
But it wasn’t all bad weather news for firefighters. Some winds helped clear smoke near the fire, allowing themto fly aircrafts. And starting next week, temperatures are expected to cool off into the 80s and 70s as a marine layer moves in, upping moisture levels.
Weather officials say that up to an inch of rain could also fall in the North Bay and San Francisco starting next Friday, providing a potential cushion against the bone-dry vegetation fueling the flames. But it’s too early to say how likely that is, meteorologist Jeff Lorber cautioned.
“We’ll take anything that we can get at this point,” Lorber said.
Further north, the deadly Zogg Fire in Shasta and Tehama counties grew slightly and continues to burna mix of grass, oak and timber fuels, Cal Fire officials said Saturday. 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.
Bay Area residents meanwhile got a reprieve from unhealthy air Saturday morning after widespread smoke from the Glass Fire eased off. Most of the East Bay and South Bay sported air levels in the 60-100 or “moderate” range, excepting the Livermore and Concord areas and parts of Gilroy, where air quality remained in the red or “unhealthy” zone.
While ocean air usually helps to clear out smoke, the wildfires burning statewide mean that onshore winds aren’t likely to offer much relief, according to NWS. Until the much-needed shift in the weather comes next week, both smoke- choked residents and fire crews alike will be left anxiously waiting.