Wildfire evacuations lifted near Lake Berryessa

By Kimberly Veklerov

Residents were allowed back into their homes and roads were reopened to motorists Saturday in Napa County after fire crews made headway overnight to contain a wildfire southwest of Lake Berryessa, officials said.

Burning in a relatively remote area, the blaze came within reach of several structures and homes, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. An unknown number of residents, including those in a nearby mobile home park, were advised to leave the vicinity Friday.

The fire started Friday afternoon near Sage Canyon and Berryessa Knoxville roads off Highway 128 and grew to 114 acres. A stretch of the highway was closed, as were some local roads, while emergency vehicles rolled through the area.

Nearly 350 local and state firefighters were working Saturday to quell the blaze, which was 60 percent contained by the late morning.

“It’s steep, it’s rocky, it’s got low, heavy brush — manzanita type — with pockets of timber,” said Suzie Blankenship, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries while working the line, Blankenship said, though she didn’t have details.

Crews from Napa County, the cities of Napa, Calistoga and St. Helena, and state prisons were among those dispatched to the fire.

In Santa Clara County, a fire that began Friday afternoon in the hills west of Morgan Hill had grown to 117 acres and was 70 percent contained by Saturday morning.

The causes of both fires are under investigation, Cal Fire said.