Evacuees return to ravaged neighborhoods
Residents in part of Santa Rosa were allowed to re-enter their neighborhoods Saturday as firefighters neared full containment of a series of blazes that caused mass destruction across Northern California.
The recent rain that swept through the fire zones of Napa and Sonoma counties — more than six-tenths of an inch — gave firefighters a boost in holding containment lines. Full containment for all of the fires is expected by Wednesday.
But a little rainfall and success on the fire line does not mean California is safe from wildfire. Strong winds and hot weather are expected in Southern California over the next few days, officials said.
In the North Bay, residents in hard-hit Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa were allowed to go back to their neighborhood Saturday morning, while those who lived in Coffey Park were also allowed to survey the damage in their area. The fires in those neighborhoods were so intense that they caused tornadoes that flipped cars and uprooted trees. Elsewhere, residents were allowed to return to parts of Sonoma Valley and Geyserville, along with the Bennett Valley and Kenwood areas.
The deadly blazes across eight California counties destroyed about 8,400 structures, forced 100,000 people to evacuate and killed at least 42 people. Firefighters are continuing to investigate the cause of the wildfires, and at least 25 people are unaccounted for in Sonoma County and three in Napa County.
On Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order allowing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to help local officials remove hazardous debris like pipe insulation and flammable liquids.
The 36,793-acre Tubbs Fire, which destroyed an estimated 5,300 structures in Sonoma County, became the most destructive wildfire in modern state history this week. The fire now is 94 percent contained. The Nuns Fire, which grew almost 2,000 acres Friday night and early Saturday morning to 56,216 acres, is 86 percent contained, while the 51,624-acre Atlas Fire was at 90 percent containment. The Redwood Valley Fire, which killed eight people in Mendocino County, was at 36,523 acres and 95 percent containment.
“We are doing our very best to wrap up here — we’re getting high up in our containment numbers,” said Shira Laux, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, which is slowly decreasing staffing in the area.
In Santa Cruz County, the Bear Fire held steady at 391 acres as crews increased containment to 65 percent. Evacuation orders remained in place for certain areas, like Bear Creek Canyon Road. In total, four structures have been destroyed in the blaze and nine firefighters injured. One firefighter remained hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in the incident.
Firefighters are now looking south, where hot weather combined with dreaded Santa Ana winds could spell trouble. The National Weather Service warned of 50 mph gusts in Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties.