Glass Fire Engulfs 36,000 Acres In Napa, Sonoma Counties

NORTH BAY, CA — The Glass Fire continued moving at a dangerous rate of spread as it expanded from Napa into Sonoma County and sparked two more wildfires, Cal Fire said Monday.

The Glass, Shady and Boysen fires engulfed a collective 36,236 acres and were zero percent contained, according to a 7 p.m. update from Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued across large swaths of the two counties, with an estimated 79,000 people forced to flee their homes.

Some of the recent evacuations late Monday included Bennett Valley Ridge and Annadel State Park, as well as the entire city of Calistoga.

"Stay tuned to City and County Nixle alerts for additional information," the city of Calistoga said just after 6 p.m. Monday. "Current open evacuation routes include Route 29 South and North, and 128 North."

At least 8,543 homes and structures were threatened by the three wildfires heading into Monday night, with 113 structures already destroyed.

Homes were lost overnight in the Oakmont and Annadel areas of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, but firefighters put up "a valiant fight ... to save as many homes as they could and saved far more than they lost," according to Ben Nichols with Cal Fire.

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Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect for areas within and near the city of Santa Rosa, where a temporary evacuation point has been set up at A Place To Play, 2375 W. Third St. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and Santa Rosa Police Department have been sending evacuation alerts through Nixle, and the city has updated evacuation information on its website.

Six evacuation shelters were operating in Sonoma County, with a seventh possible shelter that American Red Cross may open at Sonoma State University.

In Petaluma, the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, was accepting sheltering in cars and RVs but was not yet ready for congregant sheltering; and the Petaluma Veteran’s Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South, was serving as a temporary evacuation point and shelter.

The Glass Fire initially sparked around 3:50 a.m. Sunday in the Deer Park area of Napa County, near St. Helena, prompting widespread evacuations as fire crews from San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area responded to help their neighbors in the North Bay. [View an updated map of the evacuations.]

An evacuation center has been operating since early Sunday at Crosswalk Community Church, 2590 First St. in Napa.

Evacuees can also head for a temporary evacuation point at Sonoma Raceway, 29335 Arnold Dr. in Sonoma.

Napa County officials said evacuees who are experiencing coronavirus symptoms or who have tested positive for COVID-19 should call 707-339-9627 before going to a shelter site.

Meanwhile, online classes were canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday in all Santa Rosa City Schools, school district officials said Monday. Around 6 p.m., school officials made the announcement on social media and said the cancellations are due to the wildfires and evacuations in the area. Grab-and-Go meals will still be offered both days. Professional development for teachers on Wednesday has been canceled.

Santa Rosa Junior College is closed through Tuesday.

"Due to impacts from the Shady fire, including ongoing evacuations and power outages in Sonoma County, SRJC will remain closed through Tuesday, Sept. 29," the college said. "All activities and classes, including online classes and services, are canceled. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further information as it becomes available."

As for weather conditions, a red flag warning for the region was set to expire Monday night. Cal Fire said winds in the area of the fire were weaker than forecast, allowing firefighters the chance to try to contain the blaze.

"Very stagnant afternoon out here," Nichols said, reporting from state Highway 12. "Not good for air quality and folks out exercising but great for us to work on containing this fire and working on putting that out."

During a briefing late Monday, local and elected officials said a zero-tolerance approach was being taken within the evacuation zones which remained "very dangerous."

"We are not tolerating anyone in the evacuation zones," Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said. "Rest assured we have a lot of deputies out there patrolling your neighborhoods."

One arrest has already been made for looting: a 17-year-old who was reportedly seen jumping backyard fences near Maria Carrillo High School, Crum said.

• Road closures in Napa County.
• Road closures in Sonoma County.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Glass Fire Threatens 2,268 Napa County Homes; More Evacs Ordered

#GlassFire is 36,236 acres and 0% contained. pic.twitter.com/9wkifHDzdu
— CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) September 29, 2020

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.