Glass Fire Consumes 58K Acres, 5% Contained: Sonoma County Latest

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Low humidity and above average temperatures allowed the Glass Fire to burn actively Thursday, growing by nearly 8,000 acres to 58,880 acres with 5 percent containment.

Much of the firefight in Sonoma County has been centered near Sugarloaf and Annadel state parks, with a 50-percent chance fire may enter the communities of Kenwood and Glen Ellen, Cal Fire officials said Thursday afternoon.

Conditions in the Oakmont and Santa Rosa areas were more favorable, however 12,475 Santa Rosa residents remained under mandatory evacuation orders and 22,631 residents were still under evacuation warnings, Santa Rosa police Chief Rain Navarro said.

In Napa County, the entire towns of Calistoga and Angwin remain evacuated as crews work to save 28,835 structures threatened by the flames burning in timber that has not burned in 70 years, Cal Fire officials said.

A red flag warning for breezy northerly winds and critically dry conditions went into effect at 1 p.m. Thursday and was expected to continue through 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area.

"Our biggest concern is the red flag warning," Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said. "My main message is more evacuations are possible; there is real certainty that that could happen."

According to Essick, 50 extra deputies are on patrol in evacuation zones within county areas.

In the city of Santa Rosa, officers from the San Francisco Police Department and deputies from the San Francisco County Sheriff's Office are assisting with patrols, SRPD Chief Rainer Navarro said.

There have been no arrests for looting or burglaries within the city since Glass Fire evacuations began, the chief said.

According to the National Weather Service, north winds were forecast to spread across Napa County and impact the Glass Fire and the hills above Calistoga, pushing the fire toward Angwin.

"Northwest winds increase Thursday night into Friday morning with gusts 25 to 30 mph with little or no humidity recovery," the weather service said. "Breezy northerly winds continue through the Friday burn period with continued hot temperatures."

Humidity of 15 to 25 percent but locally 8 to 12 percent with little or no nighttime recovery in the hills.

"Fire will spread rapidly due to the combination of hot temperatures, very dry fuels, breezy northerly winds and low humidity, with the highest threat to active portions of the Glass Fire or those areas with unsecured or open fire line," the weather service said.

The Glass Fire has now destroyed 153 single-family homes in Napa County and damaged 26; in Sonoma County, 67 single-family homes have been destroyed and 43 damaged.

The number of commercial structures (businesses) destroyed in Napa County reached 189 Thursday night, while five commercial structures have been destroyed in Sonoma County, according to Cal Fire.

#GlassFire is 58,8880 acres and 5% contained. pic.twitter.com/0REM2j41Hg
— CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) October 2, 2020