Heat wave could raise risk of fires
Progress reported in battling Quail and Owens blazes
A heat wave is expected to bake much of Northern California early this week, further upping the threat of wildfire just days after flames briefly threatened homes in Solano and Mendocino counties.
Temperatures are expected to reach into the 90s across parts of the Bay Area on Tuesday, while portions of the Central Valley could climb past 100 degrees. That heat — along with dry, northerly winds and low humidity levels — could create “near critical weather conditions” in the coming days, particularly late today through Tuesday, said Matt Mehle, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“We're getting a preview of summer-like conditions for the Bay Area,” Mehle said.
The hot weather comes as firefighters gained the upper hand on two fires burning in Northern California that prompted evacuations over the weekend.
Containment of the Quail Fire near Vacaville in northern Solano County rose from 45% to 75% by Sunday afternoon, while fire crews appeared to stop its spread at 135 acres.
The blaze was first reported at 3:14 p.m. on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for all of Quail Canyon Road and Pleasants Valley Road from Quail Canyon north to Highway 128 and west to the county border. But those orders were downgraded to warnings about five hours later as fire crews made progress in battling the blaze.
Firefighters planned to spend most of Sunday putting out hot spots and strengthening their containment lines around the blaze, said Tom Knecht, a division chief for Cal Fire's Solano-Lake-Napa Unit. He said that the majority of roughly 65 firefighters assigned to the fire could be released by nightfall.
“The perimeter is looking really good, and today is mostly a lot of work to mop up the interior,” Knecht said.
Authorities have not announced a cause for the fire, which largely burned through grasses, oak woodlands and brush.
Meanwhile, firefighters managed to raise containment of the 36-acre Owens Fire in Mendocino County from 60% to 80%, according to Cal Fire.
The Owens Fire ignited Friday afternoon near Highway 1 and Bill Owens Road, along the coast about 100 miles north of San Francisco. The blaze sent a plume of smoke rising from a heavily wooded area near the coast and briefly prompted about 50 residents to evacuate the area — though those orders were later rescinded.
No cause for the Owens Fire has been announced.
A mass of high pressure developing over the eastern Pacific Ocean should cause fire conditions to worsen over the coming days — further stressing grasses, shrubs and forests already weakened by years of drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of Northern California in either severe or extreme drought — conditions that show no signs of improving anytime soon. Humidity levels should drop below 15% by Tuesday for many inland portions of the Bay Area, while temperatures should reach well into the 90s for Santa Rosa and Napa, south through Livermore and into San Jose and Gilroy.
In Oakland, the temperatures should get into the 80s, while San Francisco and other areas of the coast should be in the mid-to-upper 70s.
The heat wave should begin to ease toward the end of the week, though parts of the Central Valley could still see temperatures in the 100s on Wednesday.
Meteorologists urged residents to be mindful of the fire danger by disposing of cigarettes properly, by not mowing after 10 a.m. and by making sure that no chains are dragging on the pavement when towing trailers.
“With the grasses, the finer fuels in the Bay Area are drying out,” Mehle said. “We are going to be in the fire season before we know it.”