Atlas Fire: Most Solano County Schools Now Closed; District Offices Evacuated

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Employees at the Solano County Office of Education’s main office building in Cordelia were evacuated to SCOE’s Golden Hills Education Center in Fairfield just before 1 p.m. Wednesday, as the main office is less than three miles from the expanding mandatory Atlas Fire evacuation area near Green Valley, SCOE said in a news release. Also, five of six public school districts in the county are closed for the remainder of the week.

"For the safety of our employees, classified staff was released at 10 a.m.," said Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson. "Management staff remained onsite to ensure that all employees were aware of the updated school closures. Our office has also been closely monitoring alerts from public service agencies such as the Fairfield Police Department, Cal Fire, Solano Sheriff’s Office, and through the Nixle notification system."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Vallejo City USD, Benicia USD, Fairfield-Suisun USD, Vacaville USD, and Travis USD, have closed schools through this Friday. Dixon USD remains open at this time.

"The air quality has been a major factor in deciding to close the schools," said Tommy Welch of SCOE. "Vallejo City USD will remain closed through Monday due to a previously scheduled professional development day for staff.

The Atlas Fire, one in a series of devastating wildfires burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sunday, crested the ridge into Solano County, prompting evacuations of the Green Valley area. As of Wednesday, the fire was more than 42,000 acres in size. Residents of the Eastridge development in Fairfield have been advised to evacuate and those in the Rancho Solano neighborhood were urged to be prepared to evacuate. Additionally, Solano County sheriff's officials urged residents west of Pleasants Valley from Napa 128 south to Mix Canyon Road to be prepared to evacuate should the fire conditions change.

>> RELATED: Atlas Fire Threatens Solano County; Evacuations Underway

The following Solano County Office of Education school sites are also closed through the end of this
week:

• Golden Hills Special Education classes
• Fairfield Adult School
• T.C. McDaniel Center
• Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services (DUCS)
• Irene Larsen Center
• Golden Hills Court and Community Schools

“We are extremely concerned about the well-being and safety of our students, staff, and community members,” Estrella-Henderson said. “Please know that our thoughts are with you during this frightening ordeal. We know that the fires have caused a great deal of devastation to many families, colleagues, and friends. Please know that you are not alone, and we are here to assist you during this time of need. We will pass along pertinent information as it becomes available to us. Your safety and well-being are our priority.”

Photo: The sun shines through smoke and haze from wildfires over Santa Rosa, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)