Glass Fire: New Evacuations Ordered; 17 Percent Containment

NAPA COUNTY, CA — As crews continued to battle the Glass Fire, an evacuation warning was upgraded to an evacuation order Sunday morning for areas of northern Napa County. Crews have struggled to maintain ground against the 63,885 acre fire, which has continuously been aggravated by dry winds.

The fire was 17 percent contained Sunday as the fire continued to make runs up and down slopes and embankments.

"Critically low fuel moisture, very warm and dry weather conditions are contributing to very active fire behavior," Cal Fire said Sunday morning.

The new evacuations are issued for northern Napa County bordered on the west by state Highway 29 at the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park trailhead, on the north by Livermore Road, on the east by Aetna Mine Road, the Napa County Office of Emergency Services said Sunday morning.

Evacuation centers are open at Crosswalk Community Church, 2590 First St. in Napa and Napa Valley College at 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway in Napa.

The massive wildfire has already destroyed 826 structures, with 173 confirmed homes destroyed in Napa County and 120 homes in Sonoma County, displacing thousands from their homes and reducing beloved establishments and historic vineyards throughout wine country.

And the fire was still threatening more than 21,600 structures Sunday.

The wildfire has been burning for less than a week, igniting out of yet another dry heat spell in Northern California Sunday. Aided by gusty and warm conditions, the fire marched into Sonoma County earlier in the week, prompting mass evacuations in the North Bay.

Cal Fire reported that 2,773 firefighters were battling the flames Sunday. Each firefighter works a 24-hour shift, then has 24 hours off to rest.

Air tankers and helicopters are also working the blaze from above as conditions allow.

A red flag warning expired at 6 a.m. Saturday for the North Bay mountains, but light winds continued to hamper fire suppression efforts and control lines set up by firefighters.

Evacuation Orders

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Sunday for the areas of northern Napa County bordered on the West by Highway 29 at the Robert Louis Stevenson trailhead, the North by Livermore Road, the East by Aetna Mine Road, and the existing Evacuation Orders to the South.

Evacuation orders in areas of Sonoma County and areas within the city of Santa Rosa were reduced to warnings Saturday.

Evacuation orders were reduced to warnings outside the burn area of the following zones:

• Calistoga — North
• Calistoga — South/Skyhawk
• Melita
• Pythian (City of Santa Rosa address accessed off Los Alamos Road)

Meanwhile, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office announced the following areas were being downgraded from evacuation orders to warnings:

Zone 3P1:

• South of Annadel State Park
• East and south of Santa Rosa City Limits
• North of Bennett Valley Road
• West of Savannah Trail

Zone 2P1:

• West of Wallace Road
• West of the intersection of Porter Creek Road at Franz Valley Road (Safari West)
• East of Mark West Springs Road
• South of Porter Creek Road to the Santa Rosa city limits.

But Foothill Ranch Road east of the intersection of Foothill Ranch Road at Wallace Road, as well as, Rolling Oaks Road and Grand Oaks Road will remain under an evacuation order.

Before Sunday, no new evacuation orders had been issued in Napa County since Thursday afternoon, when orders went into effect for all areas of north of the Calistoga city limits between state Highway 128, the Sonoma County line, and state Highway 29; all addresses on both sides of state Highway 29 between the Calistoga city limits and the Lake County line; and all addresses on Old Lawley Toll Road.

Orders were also issued Thursday for Whitehall Lane to Bella Oaks Area, which included: the area south of the end of South Whitehall Lane and north of the end of Bella Oaks Lane, and west to the Sonoma County Line including the 500 block and greater of Wall Road.

An evacuation warning was issued Thursday for Bella Lane to Oakville Grade, which included: the area south of the end of Bella Oaks Lane west to the Sonoma County Line north of Oakville Grade/Dry Creek Road, west of Highway 29, up to the 500 block of Wall Road; and the Valley Floor for the area west of Highway 29 between Whitehall Lane and Oakville Grade, including all addresses on Bella Oaks Lane, Manley Lane, Beerstecher Road and Niebaum Lane.

All other previously issued orders and warnings remained in effect, the county said. View a map of Napa County evacuation zones.

Residents seeking clarification about evacuation orders or warnings can call the Cal Fire information line at 707-967-4207 or the Napa County Public Information Line at 707-253-4540.

City of Calistoga Gives An Update

"A layer of heavy smoke continues to blanket Calistoga as the mandatory evacuation order continues to be in effect," the city of Calistoga said in an update Friday afternoon. "Air quality within the city remains at hazardous levels."

PG&E restore power to portions of the west side of the city at 8 p.m. Thursday; the area west of Calistoga north of Lillie Street remained without power Friday afternoon, the city said. Areas on the hillside west of Foothill Boulevard also are unpowered. City officials said they are in communication with PG&E about the timeline for full power restoration.

Numerous strike teams were observed coming into the area over the course of the morning Friday, the city said.

"This morning the fire line held at Highway 29/Lake County Highway a couple miles above Calistoga," the city said. "Hot spots remain but primary fire activity is advancing north towards the Lake County line. In the Diamond Mountain, Kortum Canyon, and Sharp Road areas, crews continue to build and improve dozer lines."

Napa County Air Quality

The county's Office of Emergency Services advised of "very unhealthy air quality" because of smoke from the fire that has been burning since early Sunday morning. All Napa County residents were advised to stay indoors as much as possible.

The air quality in Napa County has ranged Friday from "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy" to "hazardous," according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Aircraft VLAT 944 747 on #GlassFire on shoulder of Mnt St Helena S of Hwy 29 on S side of Robert Louis Stevenson Pk. pic.twitter.com/39U3PFlcya
— craig philpott (@CphilpottCraig) October 3, 2020

#GLASSFIRE FIRST NIGHT: This harrowing photo was taken on the night the Glass Fire broke out. This image was captured just after 7:00pm facing hillside flames above a vineyard off of Crystal Springs Road in Napa County. pic.twitter.com/2r9klvrdcd
— CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) October 3, 2020

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Glass Fire Consumes 58K Acres, 5% Contained: Napa County Latest
• Napa County Glass Fire Latest: 46K Acres Burned, 2% Containment
• 2 Firefighters Forced To Deploy Emergency Shelters In Glass Fire
• 3 St. Helena Water Tanks Destroyed In Glass Fire, City Says
• Glass Fire Engulfs 36,000 Acres In Napa, Sonoma Counties
• Historic Chateau Boswell Winery Burns Down; More Landmarks Lost
• Glass Fire Threatens 2,268 Napa County Homes; More Evacs Ordered

Patch Staffer Maggie Fusek contributed to this report.