Woodside Fire 30% Contained: Evacuations, Air Quality Warnings, Highway 1 Closure in Place
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 3 p.m. Thursday south of Sonoma County’s Salt Point State Park, a coastal, heavily forested area about 30 miles north of Bodega Bay.
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 between 200 and 700 as of 8:30 a.m. Friday, prompting warnings of emergency conditions.
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.
Some residents said they planned to continue with their routines, despite the smell of smoke.
“I can smell it,” Petaluma resident 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.
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.