Fires Crop Up All Over NorCal, Red Flag Warning Extended

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Wildfires ignited all over Northern California and parts of the Bay Area on Saturday following the first red flag warning of the year.

The warning, issued for much of Northern California, was originally meant to last until Monday but it was extended through 6 p.m. on Tuesday due to dry and breezy conditions, the National Weather Service announced Sunday.

The North and East Bay hills were included in the red flag warning, as were the East Bay valleys and the eastern half of Santa Clara County. A warning was triggered after officials determined that offshore winds would develop over the weekend. Gusty winds were forecast hit the Napa County hills first before spreading to the East Bay on Sunday.

Anticipating dry, gusty winds, elevated temperatures and "unseasonably" dry fuels following a bone dry winter, fire agencies braced for wildfires.

"Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly," forecasters warned on Friday.

To complicate matters, much of the Golden State is experiencing moderate to severe drought, with more than 73 percent already suffering from extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

While several brush fires cropped up around Northern California, one larger fire temporarily threatened residents of Chico on Saturday. Dubbed the "Gunnison Fire," the blaze scorched around 30 acres shortly after it was reported just before 1:45 p.m, according to the Butte County Fire Department.

Image shows officially where the Red Flag is in effect from 11 pm Friday through 6 am Monday (red color on map). #RedFlagWarninghttps://t.co/N8DS9N2c6Xhttps://t.co/HPZw8oiUgp pic.twitter.com/XyAHtB0BZL
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) May 7, 2021

But the fire quickly tore through dry grass fields, accelerated by winds, and scorched 549 acres before it was contained on Saturday night.

At 2:35 p.m., the Butte County Sheriff's Office ordered residents to evacuate the area around Gunnison Way, Trinidad Drive and Denver Lane.

Relentless winds quickly pushed the fire to burn 100 acres off Munjar and Meridian roads northwest of Chico. Residents of that area were also temporarily evacuated, but the order was lifted, allowing people to return home around 5:30 p.m, according to the sheriff's office.

Around 6:30 p.m., officials announced that the fire was 60 percent contained. By 10 p.m. the wildfire was 100 percent contained. No homes were damaged but three outbuildings were destroyed, the Sacramento Bee reported.

In the Bay Area, a wildfire sparked Saturday morning in Solano County between Cordelia and Benicia near Interstate 680 and Lopes Road. At least nine firefighting agencies worked to fight the blaze, which was contained to 45 acres by 3:33 p.m., according to the Solano County Office of Emergency Services.

Around 12:40 p.m., Cal Fire's Santa Clara unit was responding to several vegetation fires in Pittsburg and Alamo in Contra Costa County and assisting with the Lopes Fire in Solano County.

Around 12:55 p.m., Cal Fire SCU said units had also responded to a vehicle fire that extended to vegetation on Highway 17 near Summit Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Clara County. At 1:11 p.m., the forward progress of the blaze had been contained at under an acre, officials said.

The Red Flag Warning has been extended until 6 PM PDT Tuesday due to continued dry and breezy conditions.#CAwx pic.twitter.com/HVzXOEl5II
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) May 9, 2021

Bay City News contributed to this report.