Wildfire siege may last ‘weeks’
Glass Fire destroys dozens of homes; hot, dry forecast raises threat to North Bay
CALISTOGA >> Howling winds that fueled the explosive growth of the Glass Fire across Napa and Sonoma counties subsided Tuesday, allowing residents and business owners to take stock of the damage to scores of homes and several renowned wine country destinations.
But with the fire that ignited in the early hours Monday still burning out of control — threatening Calistoga and St. Helena on three sides, while menacing Santa Rosa and other communities — hot and dry conditions forecast for the coming days likely portend a lengthy siege on the North Bay, and a long time away from home for thousands who evacuated from the blaze’s path.
“We’re going to be in this for a couple of weeks,” Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner said, “and it’s going to be painful for those that are dealing with it.”
As of Tuesday, the Glass Fire covered more than 42,000 acres and damaged more than 100 structures, including at least 80 homes, most in Napa County. Deer Park, an unincorporated community north of St. Helena, was devastated by the blaze — its town hall, an elementary school and many homes were destroyed.
More than 70,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the fire’s path, including all of Calistoga and parts of St. Helena and Santa Rosa, where some evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings on Tuesday. Authorities have reported a handful of injuries to civilians, but no deaths.
With fire to the west, east and south, Calistoga was practically a ghost town Tuesday. The city of about 5,000 residents had been threatened by the deadly Tubbs Fire, which raced across a similar path from Napa County to the north side of Santa Rosa in 2017. But this time, Calistoga Fire Department spokesman Jaime Orozco said the flames are even closer — within a mile of the city
limits by Tuesday morning — and the potential for the blaze to enter the city remains a “high concern and high priority.”
Still, 25-year- old Max Caldera stayed behind with his two dogs and cousin when his parents and four siblings f led from their downtown Calistoga home late Monday night, after officials issued a citywide evacuation order.
“I’m out if it gets close,” Caldera said. “But today and yesterday there has been a lot of relief, and I’m just hoping it dies down now.”
The fire’s growth Tuesday was far slower than in its first two days, when powerful offshore winds turned the blaze that started east of the Silverado Trail early Sunday morning into a monster.
While investigators initially believed the conflagration was the result of three fires that merged into one, Cal Fire Division Chief Ben Nicholls said they now suspect two of the blazes were in fact spot fires caused when the winds hurled embers from the Glass Fire over the Napa Valley floor and onto its western slope. From there the flames tore through an overgrown landscape on their way to Santa Rosa, with the fire growing 34,000 acres in 24 hours by Monday night.
The good news is that there is no sign at this point of another offshore wind event like the one that battered Northern California earlier this week, National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass said. The bad news: Temperatures across the North Bay are forecast to reach the 90s and 100s later this week, creating “persistent critically dry conditions across those areas,” Gass said.
Even the relatively typical onshore winds forecast for the area will be a concern, he said, with the potential to drive the fire’s spread to the east. And the chances for worse weather could rise if the fight drags on — the North Bay typically sees several offshore wind events each October.
Just down Highway 29 from Calistoga, workers were back to crushing grapes Tuesday despite fire damage at the landmark Castello di Amorosa property. The winery’s famed castle building and wine tasting rooms were not damaged in the Glass Fire, but its farmhouse — which held management offices, a fermentation room and an estimated $5 million worth of wine — was severely damaged.
Other losses in the area included the Chateau Boswell
winery, the heritage winery building at Burgess Cellars, the winery and tasting room at Fairwinds Estate and buildings at Hourglass Wine. Both the Meadowood and Calistoga Ranch resorts reported extensive damage; chef Christopher Kostow confirmed that his three-Michelin-star Restaurant at Meadowood burned to the ground.
The cause remains under investigation. Utility wires were down in two areas along North Fork Crystal Springs Road, the narrow hillside lane near where authorities said the fire broke out just before 4 a.m. Sunday, and workers were in the area Tuesday inspecting
power lines. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. officials said they have not received any indication their equipment could have sparked a fire.
In nearby St. Helena, which was partially evacuated, most businesses were closed. Still, neighborhood streets were lined with cars and a small grocery store in town, Sunshine Foods, was running on a generator and busy as residents dropped in to grab supplies to get them through the next few days.
Zendy Olguin, 38, returned to her home on the west side of town with her husband and four children after evacuating to Napa on Sunday night, when she walked outside and could see flames in the hills above her home. On Tuesday, Olguin received a notice that their power had been restored, and they decided to head home.
“That’s really what we were gauging — if the power comes back, that kind of means we should be OK,” she said. But heavy smoke and poor visibility was already giving her doubts. “It’s starting to look pretty bad again,” she said.