Woodside Fire Brings Hazy Air to Much of North Bay
A wildfire blazing in Sonoma County since Thursday afternoon has prompted evacuation orders and widespread air quality warnings, and forced officials to close a stretch of Highway 1 in the North Bay.
The 140-acre Woodside Fire broke out just before 2 p.m. Thursday in northern Sonoma County near Salt Point State Park, a coastal, heavily forested area about 30 miles north of Bodega Bay. Strong winds quickly carried flames south, sparking smaller fires along the coast, according to Cal Fire Incident Commander Marshall Turbeville.
Cal Fire said favorable conditions overnight allowed them to make significant progress, stalling forward spread and reaching 30% containment. As of Friday morning, more than 300 fire personnel, including multiple helicopters and air tankers from around the state, were assisting suppression efforts.
Much of the North Bay woke up Friday morning to hazy skies, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality monitors registering contamination levels up to four times what’s considered hazardous.
The EPA considers fire-particle pollution levels greater than 300 to be hazardous. Monitors along the Russian River, in communities like Sebastopol, Guerneville and Forestville, recorded levels up to 700 around 8:30 a.m. Friday, prompting warnings of emergency conditions. By the early afternoon, most monitors in the area were reading in the 200 range.
Air quality monitors in Santa Rosa fell in the 100 and 200 range, which is considered unhealthy to very unhealthy.
Further south, Petaluma and Novato pollution levels were slightly elevated, hovering in the low 100s, which can be unhealthy for members of sensitive populations, including elderly people, children and those with respiratory illnesses, or conditions like asthma or emphysema.
The Bay Area Air District extended a Spare the Air Alert for the Bay Area through Saturday, saying that air conditions in the North Bay are expected to continue to range from unhealthy for sensitive groups to very unhealthy based on the EPA’s monitoring system.
The worst conditions are expected in Sonoma County, though BAAQMD said smoke impacts could extend to other parts of the Bay over the weekend.
During a Spare the Air Alert, residents are prohibited from using fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices.
Some residents in Petaluma Friday morning said they planned to continue with their routines, despite the smell of smoke.
“I can smell it,” John Cottrell said. “I can’t really see it. For now it’s okay, but I hope it dissipates.”
The Bay Area Air District cautioned that conditions can change rapidly and smoke levels can be hard to predict in an advisory late Thursday.
“It is important that Bay Area residents protect their health by avoiding exposure. If possible, and temperatures allow, stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke levels subside.”
The vegetation fire has forced evacuations along the coast near Jenner in Sonoma County, along with a private camp and subdivision community. Evacuation orders and warnings that took effect Thursday remain in place, according to Cal Fire.
The fire, directly west of Highway 1, led to closures between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point – Skaggs Springs Road, and evacuation zone SON-1D1, along with Salt Point State Park, Steelwater Cove Regional Park, Ocean Cove Private Camp and Timber Cove Subdivision, are under mandatory evacuation orders. An evacuation warning has been issued for zone SON-1D2.
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at Laguna High School in Forestville.
Turbeville said fire crews were working with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Emergency Management to reopen Highway 1 in the next one to two days, and begin lifting evacuation orders as soon as Friday evening and Saturday.
Cal Fire Napa-Sonoma-Lake Unit spokesperson Tyree Zander said crews were able to make progress overnight Thursday after strong winds died down, and were hoping for conditions to remain calm throughout Friday.
“We’re hoping that we’re not [going to] have the winds that we had yesterday,” he said. “One of the big factors … was there were winds out here on the coast, which are typical afternoon conditions.”
Zander warned Bay Area residents to be conscientious not to spark a fire this weekend, when the state is expecting a heat wave. He urged people to check that their trailer chains are lifted off the ground and brakes aren’t sparking.
“Remember to stay fire safe if you’re going to choose to go out and do something this weekend,” he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
KQED’s Danielle Venton contributed to this report.
This is a developing story and will be updated.